AirSeed Technologies’ drones aim to plant up to 40,000 seeds per day. (Image Credit: AirSeed Technologies)
Air Seed, an Australian-based startup, deployed drones to help combat the invasive African olive tree in the Australian Botanic Garden at Mt. Annan in Southern Sydney by planting a steep ridge line. Up to 85% of this region has been cleared of this species. It also covered nearly 20% of the 116-acre park before they were removed. An Australian Research Council grant is funding these tree-planting drones that are undergoing trials as part of a Western Sydney University study.
Air Seed says its drones are capable of plating approximately 40,000 seeds per day, are 80% more cost-effective, and are 25 times faster than standard seed planting techniques. The company also aims to raise $10 million this year and plant 100 million trees per year by 2024. The 36-kg drones were developed with off-the-shelf tech and can determine where seed pods should and shouldn’t be planted, such as rock, gravel, roads, fallen trees, etc. Meanwhile, a sentry-drone maps the landscape, capturing high-res images and collecting data before the seed planting process begins.
In addition, Air Seed had a patent pending for its seed pod biotech that houses seeds mixed with organic matter, improving successful germination attempts. The company also says that it wants to provide rehabilitation that can succeed beyond trees on the Mt. Annan trial. These drones can plant some canopy tree species along with other plants that may not reach the same height.
Ecosystems that have vines growing along the ground can also be restored while providing a stronger structure. The Mt. Annan trials would boost the park’s biodiversity by improving endangered ecological communities, including the Western Sydney dry rainforest and Cumberland plain woodland.
However, it takes a full year just to see if those trees, shrubs, and grasses planted by the drones grew in that region. It takes a decade to get something sizable out of these trees. It’s a slow process, but at least it’s something. Sort of like domestic terraforming in a way. What a concept...
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