Could Drones Be the Future of Reforestation? 75,000 Seeds Scattered Over Cornwall and Devon

Published On: 14 March 2025Last Updated: 14 March 2025By CornishStuff

📷 Photo Credit: Here Now Films

A High-Tech Approach to Woodland Expansion

A groundbreaking trial in the South West could transform how Britain restores its lost rainforests. Using high-tech drones, the Woodland Trust has scattered 75,000 native tree seeds across 11 hectares of land in Cornwall and Devon, in one of the largest projects of its kind.

The drones, weighing 110kg and capable of carrying 58kg of seeds, hover just a few metres above the ground to reach steep and inaccessible areas. The trial is part of a push to triple the area of temperate rainforest in Cornwall and Devon by 2050—from 8% to 24% of the land area.

Why the South West’s Rainforests Need Urgent Action

Sam Manning, Project Officer for south-west rainforests at the Woodland Trust, highlighted the scale of loss:

“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. 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.”

Sam explained that restoring these woodlands is vital in tackling the climate and biodiversity crises. Traditional tree planting can be slow, expensive, and difficult in rugged landscapes, making drones a potentially game-changing alternative.

“Drones are potentially much faster and cheaper at dispersing seeds than volunteers. The other aspect is safety and accessibility. Many potential woodland creation sites are either too steep, unsafe, or remote for people to plant or scatter seeds. Drones can help solve these issues by removing the safety and accessibility limitations of humans.”

📷Photo Credit: Here Now Films

What Trees Are Being Planted?

The seeds dispersed by the drones include pedunculate oak, alder, wild cherry, downy birch, and hazel—all species found in Britain’s temperate rainforests.

To measure the success of the trial, researchers have set up control areas to compare drone-seeded land with naturally regenerating forest. The Woodland Trust will revisit the sites over the next three years to track germination and tree growth.

“We hope to see a success rate of seed to tree of at least 25% for this trial, which in turn could inspire practitioners and funders to invest time and money into refining the effectiveness of drones for woodland creation,” said Sam.

📷Photo Credit: Here Now Films

A Boost for Conservation Efforts

The trial is funded by the Woodland Trust’s ‘Rainforest Recovery’ Project through DEFRA’s Species Survival Fund.

Merlin Hanbury-Tenison, author of Our Oaken Bones, owns some of the land where the trial took place and praised the use of technology to restore lost landscapes.

“Up to a fifth of the British Isles was once a rainforest landscape but this has been reduced to less than 1% of its original range due to deforestation across the uplands. If we’re to reverse this destruction, then we will need to leverage innovative technology-enabled solutions wherever possible. I cannot think of a better example of this than the drone seeding project that the Woodland Trust have embarked on in the Cabilla Valley.”

The Rainforest Recovery project is part of a larger effort, The Rainforest Restoration Project, led by the Woodland Trust in partnership with Plantlife. The goal is to rebuild and protect Britain’s rare rainforest ecosystem before it disappears entirely.

With the success of this trial, drones could soon become a vital tool in bringing back the lost rainforests of Cornwall and Devon.