High-tech drones weighing 110kg and carrying up to 58kg of seeds have scattered 75,000 seeds around Bodmin, in an initiative led by the Woodland Trust.
Seeds of pedunculate oak, alder, wild cherry, downy birch and hazel were planted around the area – all British trees which are native to rainforests.
The success of this project opens up new opportunities in woodland development, as the drones can reach areas inaccessible by hand for human planting.
Eleven hectares of land were reached by the drones in eight hours, reaching areas that would have been too steep, remote or unsafe for volunteers on foot.
The Woodland Trust has worked with the South West Rainforest Alliance to develop this new seeding technique. They hope this new practice will triple the area of temperate rainforest in Devon and Cornwall from 8% to 25% of land area by 2050.
"Rainforest once covered 75% of Devon and Cornwall but we have lost 90% of it. These are among the most threatened ecosystems on Earth. They are biodiversity hotspots, home to over 2,000 species of lichen," says Sam Manning, project officer for South West rainforests at the Woodland Trust.
"Sadly, rainforests cover just 1% of the Earth’s land surface, and we are one of only a small handful of rainforest nations left on Earth."
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