Source >>><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBy Max Ufberg<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nOur Climate: a <\/em>series<\/a> exploring a world of fear and promise.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/pyxis.nymag.com\/v1\/imgs\/20e\/471\/57fa0818ebe93d9f887e04955695970305-droneseed.rsquare.w700.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nPhoto: DroneSeed<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The National Interagency Fire Center reported more than 58,000 wildfires<\/a> in 2021. The largest among them, the Dixie Fire in California, burned 960,000 acres<\/a>. 2022 likely won\u2019t be much better, as climate change continues to boost<\/a> wildfires\u2019 frequency and intensity. Meanwhile, trees also have to deal with a litany of other dangers<\/a>, chief among them deforestation, invasive species, extreme weather, and drought. Just this century, the U.S. has lost 15 percent<\/a> of its tree cover. This is especially troubling given that the United Nations\u2019 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recommends adding 1 billion hectares of trees to help limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMy Week In New York<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\nA week-in-review newsletter from the people who make New York <\/em>Magazine.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nAs scientists search for solutions, they may look to an increasingly ubiquitous piece of technology: drones. A number of companies have sprung up in the last few years that use cutting-edge drones and data analysis to sprinkle seeds across deforested areas. In the process, the companies say, they can restore ecosystems and help mitigate global warming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had trillions of tons of carbon that has been emitted into the atmosphere,\u201d says Bryce Jones, CEO of Flash Forest, a Toronto-based drone-deforestation company. \u201cWe need to decarbonize, but we also have a problem with the excess carbon already in the atmosphere. So how do you pull that out? Forests are one of the best ways to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Founded in 2019, Flash Forest creates seedpods \u2014 a concoction that includes seeds, fertilizer, mycorrhizae, and \u201ceverything that we can think of that will help promote germination and resilience,\u201d according to Jones. The seedpods are tailored to the forest environment in order to maximize biodiversity, then dispersed via a fleet of drones. \u201cWe have mapping technology that allows us to assess the site beforehand to determine the areas that we don\u2019t want to fly and the areas that we do want to plant,\u201d Jones says. The company claims it can scatter 10,000 seeds per day<\/a>, compared to the 1,000 a person can typically manage.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe 22-person start-up has mostly worked in Canada, though they\u2019re currently planning a pilot program in Hawaii. Jones says they\u2019re on track to plant 300,000 trees this year, and the goal is to hit 1 billion trees, a commonly stated goal among drone-deforestation companies, by 2028.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That number might seem ambitious, and it has indeed elicited some eye rolls<\/a> in the research world. But drone technology, and by extension the unmanned vehicles\u2019 capacity for seed dispersal, is quickly improving, thanks to advances in battery life, mapping software, and remote-sensing capabilities. \u201cThe technology is developing very rapidly,\u201d says John Innes, a professor of forestry at the University of British Columbia who also advises Flash Forest. \u201cThe drones are now at the point where they can work intelligently within the landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nThere\u2019s research to suggest that drone reforestation can be quite effective. Most notably, a study published in June 2021 in the journal Remote Sensing<\/em><\/a>determined that, while challenges such as seed survival and uncooperative weather patterns certainly exist, the practice does in fact have the potential to help mend forests. \u201cIt can help with reforesting larger areas, and areas that aren\u2019t exactly safe for humans to go in and do tree-planting,\u201d says study co-author Gabriella Richardson, a graduate research assistant at the University of Guelph. \u201cIt can also be cost-effective and quicker for large-scale reforestation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nRichardson\u2019s study also suggested that UAV operators act more transparently around issues of seed-survival rates and utilize open-source workflows to better encourage community engagement. \u201cGetting lots of professionals from different areas to work on improving the technology, and getting academics involved in research on training, will make [the reforestation efforts] even better,\u201d Richardson says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cascade Tuholske, a postdoctoral research scientist at Columbia University\u2019s Earth Institute who led a 2017 study on mangrove loss in Honduras<\/a>, agrees with Richardson\u2019s recommendation for more transparency. \u201cLike with any new technology, we need peer-reviewed research that assess how well drone reforestation actually works,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDrone reforestation companies must also deal with critics who say they\u2019re placing too much emphasis on the number of seeds dropped, and not enough on exactly how many of them will actually take root. There\u2019s also a national seed shortage<\/a> at the moment, which makes a new high-tech experiment low on government agencies\u2019 list of planting efforts. \u201cWe don\u2019t have the seed to even meet the demands right now,\u201d says Chief Stewart McMorrow, supervisor at the Cal Fire Reforestation Center. \u201cIf a drone company says, \u2018Hey, give us ten times the normal seed you\u2019d use to reforest an area\u2019, we\u2019re not going to do it.\u201d (A spokesperson for the U.S. Forest Service said that while the agency is evaluating opportunities where drones could help reforest, \u201cThus far, survival and costs have not been optimal when compared with hand-planting.\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\nStill, it appears some government agencies are onboard with the tech.In October 2020, the Federal Aviation Administration gave the Seattle-based company DroneSeed a green light<\/a> to fly swarms of drones beyond the usual visual line of sight restrictions in areas of the West that have been burned by wildfires \u2014 the first such approval in the U.S. The company\u2019s eight-foot UAVs were sent out to drop so-called seed vessels \u2014 a proprietary mix of nutrients, fertilizers, and pest deterrents \u2014 in California and Oregon forests that were burned by the August Complex and Holiday Farm fires, respectively. (DroneSeed says each drone can carry up to 57 pounds of seed vessels.)<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe company\u2019s CEO, Grant Canary, says the seeding effort is a three-part process. First, DroneSeed uses a small drone to survey the terrain and create a 3-D map. It then uses that data to remove any obstacles from the UAVs\u2019 pre-programmed flight paths and rule out dropping seeds in areas where they wouldn\u2019t thrive (for example, a gravel road). Finally, they send out a group of two to five drones to fly along the predetermined path and drop the seedpods (which include hot pepper among its ingredients, to deter rodents). \u201cThen they\u2019ll come back and get reloaded,\u201d he says, \u201clike a NASCAR pit crew.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DroneSeed is taking steps to improve its seed count. In August 2021, it acquired<\/a> SilvaSeed, a 130-year-old seed producer, in order to bolster its own seed supply. That acquisition appears to have paid off: One month later, DroneSeed raised $36 million<\/a> in a series A funding round.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s no sure thing that companies like DroneSeed and Flash Forest can continue to improve their tech. But if they do, they seem likely to gain more government support. Cal Fire\u2019s McMorrow says as much. \u201cWe support progressive technology,\u201d he says. \u201cWe want to see drones work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Daily news about the politics, business, and technology shaping our world.Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.Terms & Privacy Notice<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"29 JANUARY 2022 : 1H7TJ Source >>> By Max Ufberg Our Climate: a series exploring a world of fear and …
Our Climate: a <\/em>series<\/a> exploring a world of fear and promise.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Photo: DroneSeed<\/p>\n\n\n\n The National Interagency Fire Center reported more than 58,000 wildfires<\/a> in 2021. The largest among them, the Dixie Fire in California, burned 960,000 acres<\/a>. 2022 likely won\u2019t be much better, as climate change continues to boost<\/a> wildfires\u2019 frequency and intensity. Meanwhile, trees also have to deal with a litany of other dangers<\/a>, chief among them deforestation, invasive species, extreme weather, and drought. Just this century, the U.S. has lost 15 percent<\/a> of its tree cover. This is especially troubling given that the United Nations\u2019 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recommends adding 1 billion hectares of trees to help limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A week-in-review newsletter from the people who make New York <\/em>Magazine.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n As scientists search for solutions, they may look to an increasingly ubiquitous piece of technology: drones. A number of companies have sprung up in the last few years that use cutting-edge drones and data analysis to sprinkle seeds across deforested areas. In the process, the companies say, they can restore ecosystems and help mitigate global warming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ve had trillions of tons of carbon that has been emitted into the atmosphere,\u201d says Bryce Jones, CEO of Flash Forest, a Toronto-based drone-deforestation company. \u201cWe need to decarbonize, but we also have a problem with the excess carbon already in the atmosphere. So how do you pull that out? Forests are one of the best ways to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Founded in 2019, Flash Forest creates seedpods \u2014 a concoction that includes seeds, fertilizer, mycorrhizae, and \u201ceverything that we can think of that will help promote germination and resilience,\u201d according to Jones. The seedpods are tailored to the forest environment in order to maximize biodiversity, then dispersed via a fleet of drones. \u201cWe have mapping technology that allows us to assess the site beforehand to determine the areas that we don\u2019t want to fly and the areas that we do want to plant,\u201d Jones says. The company claims it can scatter 10,000 seeds per day<\/a>, compared to the 1,000 a person can typically manage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 22-person start-up has mostly worked in Canada, though they\u2019re currently planning a pilot program in Hawaii. Jones says they\u2019re on track to plant 300,000 trees this year, and the goal is to hit 1 billion trees, a commonly stated goal among drone-deforestation companies, by 2028.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That number might seem ambitious, and it has indeed elicited some eye rolls<\/a> in the research world. But drone technology, and by extension the unmanned vehicles\u2019 capacity for seed dispersal, is quickly improving, thanks to advances in battery life, mapping software, and remote-sensing capabilities. \u201cThe technology is developing very rapidly,\u201d says John Innes, a professor of forestry at the University of British Columbia who also advises Flash Forest. \u201cThe drones are now at the point where they can work intelligently within the landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s research to suggest that drone reforestation can be quite effective. Most notably, a study published in June 2021 in the journal Remote Sensing<\/em><\/a>determined that, while challenges such as seed survival and uncooperative weather patterns certainly exist, the practice does in fact have the potential to help mend forests. \u201cIt can help with reforesting larger areas, and areas that aren\u2019t exactly safe for humans to go in and do tree-planting,\u201d says study co-author Gabriella Richardson, a graduate research assistant at the University of Guelph. \u201cIt can also be cost-effective and quicker for large-scale reforestation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Richardson\u2019s study also suggested that UAV operators act more transparently around issues of seed-survival rates and utilize open-source workflows to better encourage community engagement. \u201cGetting lots of professionals from different areas to work on improving the technology, and getting academics involved in research on training, will make [the reforestation efforts] even better,\u201d Richardson says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cascade Tuholske, a postdoctoral research scientist at Columbia University\u2019s Earth Institute who led a 2017 study on mangrove loss in Honduras<\/a>, agrees with Richardson\u2019s recommendation for more transparency. \u201cLike with any new technology, we need peer-reviewed research that assess how well drone reforestation actually works,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drone reforestation companies must also deal with critics who say they\u2019re placing too much emphasis on the number of seeds dropped, and not enough on exactly how many of them will actually take root. There\u2019s also a national seed shortage<\/a> at the moment, which makes a new high-tech experiment low on government agencies\u2019 list of planting efforts. \u201cWe don\u2019t have the seed to even meet the demands right now,\u201d says Chief Stewart McMorrow, supervisor at the Cal Fire Reforestation Center. \u201cIf a drone company says, \u2018Hey, give us ten times the normal seed you\u2019d use to reforest an area\u2019, we\u2019re not going to do it.\u201d (A spokesperson for the U.S. Forest Service said that while the agency is evaluating opportunities where drones could help reforest, \u201cThus far, survival and costs have not been optimal when compared with hand-planting.\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, it appears some government agencies are onboard with the tech.In October 2020, the Federal Aviation Administration gave the Seattle-based company DroneSeed a green light<\/a> to fly swarms of drones beyond the usual visual line of sight restrictions in areas of the West that have been burned by wildfires \u2014 the first such approval in the U.S. The company\u2019s eight-foot UAVs were sent out to drop so-called seed vessels \u2014 a proprietary mix of nutrients, fertilizers, and pest deterrents \u2014 in California and Oregon forests that were burned by the August Complex and Holiday Farm fires, respectively. (DroneSeed says each drone can carry up to 57 pounds of seed vessels.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The company\u2019s CEO, Grant Canary, says the seeding effort is a three-part process. First, DroneSeed uses a small drone to survey the terrain and create a 3-D map. It then uses that data to remove any obstacles from the UAVs\u2019 pre-programmed flight paths and rule out dropping seeds in areas where they wouldn\u2019t thrive (for example, a gravel road). Finally, they send out a group of two to five drones to fly along the predetermined path and drop the seedpods (which include hot pepper among its ingredients, to deter rodents). \u201cThen they\u2019ll come back and get reloaded,\u201d he says, \u201clike a NASCAR pit crew.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n DroneSeed is taking steps to improve its seed count. In August 2021, it acquired<\/a> SilvaSeed, a 130-year-old seed producer, in order to bolster its own seed supply. That acquisition appears to have paid off: One month later, DroneSeed raised $36 million<\/a> in a series A funding round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s no sure thing that companies like DroneSeed and Flash Forest can continue to improve their tech. But if they do, they seem likely to gain more government support. Cal Fire\u2019s McMorrow says as much. \u201cWe support progressive technology,\u201d he says. \u201cWe want to see drones work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Daily news about the politics, business, and technology shaping our world.Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.Terms & Privacy Notice<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 29 JANUARY 2022 : 1H7TJ Source >>> By Max Ufberg Our Climate: a series exploring a world of fear and … <\/figure>\n\n\n\nMy Week In New York<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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