An Australian startup AirSeed Technology which has planted more than 50,000 trees to date using drone technology, aims to plant a total of 100 million trees by the year 2024.

AirSeed Technology is fighting deforestation by combining artificial intelligence with specially designed seed pods which can be fired into the ground from the air.

The seed-dropping drones can plant 40,000 trees a day, compared to 800 seedlings per day by a manual tree planter.

Each drone hopper is loaded with specially selected seed pods, which are manufactured using waste biomass, providing a carbon rich coating that protects the seeds from birds, insects and rodents. The coating also supports the seed once it germinates by helping to deliver nutrients, minerals, and probiotics to boost early-stage growth.

Once airborne, the drones navigate fixed flight paths, planting to predefined patterns and recording each seeds’ coordinates.

This allows AirSeed to assess the health of their trees as they grow.

Andrew Walker, CEO and co-founder of AirSeed Technologies said: “We’re being very mindful of the fact that we need to restore soil health, we need to restore microbial communities within the soil, and we need to restore primary habitat providers for animals.”

Image Credit: AirSeed Technology

Rosa Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief. She writes about lifestyle including sustainable and green living