Forestry of the future: How robots and drones are shaping the industry

This article is based on our podcast episode released on 17/09/2024. [Listen to the full episode here]

Forestry is facing huge challenges in an era of larger demand for wood than ever before, worsening climate change issues, and labour shortages. Part of the solution may lie with robotics.

Last week, we explored the use of drones and remote sensing in forestry. This week, we continue on a similar theme. What if robots could plant trees with a higher survival rate than traditional methods?

BraSatt – The Swedish tree-planting robot

One of the most exciting forestry robotics projects is BraSatt, a Swedish planting robot developed by the Södra forestry cooperative. BraSatt is designed to automate tree planting; it navigates autonomously through forests, planting trees in predefined patterns.

Södra claims that trees planted by BraSatt have a 70-75% three-year survival rate. This means that 70-75% of the planted trees survive for more than three years. Södra also suggests that by optimising soil preparation, they can further boost the survival of these robot-planted trees.

However, as we discuss in our podcast, these figures should be taken with a grain of caution, as the data on this is very limited.

Challenges in using forestry robots

While robotic tree planting holds promise, significant hurdles remain:

1. Safety approval: Getting autonomous robots approved for forest use is a lengthy, complex process.

2. Reliability: How will these robots perform outside controlled test environments?

3. Cost: Advanced robotics is still prohibitively expensive for widespread adoption.

4. Technical limitations: Current prototypes have flaws in battery life and load capacity.

Much of this technology is still in the testing phase, and we have our own reservations about safety approvals. Nevertheless, these are encouraging developments that underscore how forestry work will transform in the coming years.

Planting trees with drones

Can drones be used to plant trees? BioCarbon Engineering (now Dendra) had an ambitious vision to plant a billion trees annually using drones.

The concept is simple yet effective: Drones fly low over forests, firing biodegradable pods containing seeds and nutrients into the ground. The plan was to use an "army" of 10,000 drones, each capable of planting 100,000 trees per day.

This technology promises not just speed but precision. AI enables drones to identify optimal planting sites and ensure seeds are planted at the ideal depth.

However, as with BraSatt, we're sceptical about the survival rates of these drone-planted trees as comprehensive studies are still lacking.

Are robots the future of forestry?

The pace of robotics development in forestry is accelerating, with several promising results. The future looks bright for forestry robots.

Just as machines have made many heavy, time-consuming agricultural tasks more efficient, robots will, at best, enhance the efficiency of forestry work.

The potential is enormous, but so is the leap from closed test environments to wide-scale deployment. Is fully automated forestry on the horizon? Unlikely. 

But could we see autonomous robots in forests within a few years? There are indications that we might.

If you're looking for some further reading, check out the links below:

• World Economic Forum - BioCarbon Engineering
• Södra's test run of new planting machine shows promising results