Reforestation using drones and AI

Reforestation using drones and AI

Drones and robots could carry out planting work in forest areas in the future. Researchers at Kempten University of Applied Sciences want to realise this vision in the AI flagship project ‘DraAuf’.

Drohne über dem Wald
Drones could also be used for reforestation in the future.

Heat, drought and pests are putting increasing pressure on forests. Mountain forests, such as those in the Allgäu region, are particularly affected. Planting new, climate-resilient tree species is therefore a promising option for mitigating the effects of climate change and preserving the ecosystem for future generations. Researchers from the Institute for Applied AI and Robotics (IKR) at Kempten University of Applied Sciences now want to make reforestation more efficient and accelerate it with the help of drones and artificial intelligence (AI).

Efficient, climate-adapted reforestation

As part of the recently launched project ‘DraAuf – Drone-assisted automated reforestation’, a practical prototype is to be developed over the next two years, which will demonstrate its performance in field trials. In the long term, the technology is to be scaled up with swarms of drones, enabling a breakthrough in climate-adapted reforestation.

AI-supported planning and autonomous robotics

In climate-resilient reforestation, drones and autonomous robots are to take over planting work in forest areas that are difficult to access. To plant seedlings, a robot is transported to the respective location by a heavy-duty drone. Once there, the robot also assesses the soil conditions. The respective planting proposals are determined in advance with the help of a monitoring drone. The data is used to create a three-dimensional terrain model, which is analysed by AI and used to generate proposals. These are then reviewed and approved by experts.

‘The combination of AI-supported planning and autonomous robotics takes environmental protection to a new level technologically. We want to show that intelligent systems provide indispensable solutions not only in industry, but also for our mountain forests in the Allgäu region – especially where climate change demands quick responses,’ emphasises Tobias Weiser, project manager and scientific director at the IKR.

DraAuf honoured as an AI flagship project

The ‘DraAuf’ project was honoured as an AI flagship project in September and will receive a total of £1,282,077 in funding until the end of 2027 as part of the Federal Environment Ministry's ‘Natural Climate Protection’ action programme. The Kempten Office for Food, Agriculture and Forestry, the Meersburg Forest District, Roth Woodinnovation AG and Munich University of Applied Sciences are also involved.

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