PREVIEW

Drones are being used to try and bring temperate rainforests back to the South West of England.
In one of the largest trials using native tree seeds, the Woodland Trust has deployed high-tech drones to scatter 75,000 seeds across the hills around Bodmin in Cornwall.

Weighing 110kg and capable of carrying up to 58kg of seeds, the drones can access areas too steep or remote for human planting. The project, conducted in collaboration with the South West Rainforest Alliance, aims to triple the area of temperate rainforest in Devon and Cornwall from 8% to 24% by 2050.
Sam Manning, project officer for South West rainforests at the Woodland Trust, said:"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.
"Restoring and expanding our temperate rainforests is vital to addressing the climate and biodiversity crises. Drones offer a faster, cheaper way to reach areas that are inaccessible or unsafe for human tree planters."
The drones scattered seeds across 11 hectares of land in just eight hours, targeting species native to rainforests, including pedunculate oak, alder, wild cherry, downy birch, and hazel.
Control areas have also been established to compare the success of drone seeding with natural regeneration. The Woodland Trust plans to monitor the trial sites over the next three years to assess seed germination rates and tree growth.
"We hope to see a success rate of seed to tree of at least 25%," said Mr Manning. "If successful, this trial could encourage further investment in drone technology for woodland creation."
The drones' ability to cover difficult terrain also addresses safety concerns. "Many potential woodland creation sites are either too steep, unsafe, or remote for people to plant or scatter seeds," Mr Manning explained. "Drones can help overcome these limitations."
Author Merlin Hanbury-Tenison, who owns some of the land used in the trial, welcomed the initiative.
"Up to a fifth of the British Isles was once rainforest, but this has been reduced to less than 1% due to deforestation," he said. "If we are to reverse this destruction, we must use innovative technology wherever possible."
His book, Our Oaken Bones, which explores the importance of rainforests in the UK, is due for release next week.
"These habitats are crucial for climate mitigation, biodiversity, and human wellbeing," he added. "We are a rainforest people living on a rainforest island."
The trial forms part of the Woodland Trust's Rainforest Recovery Project, funded through the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' (DEFRA) Species Survival Fund. The project is delivered in partnership with Plantlife and supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Manning emphasised the importance of developing a supply chain for tree seeds to meet the increasing demand for large-scale drone seeding projects.
"Currently, only a few companies have the legal permissions and expertise to conduct drone seeding," he said. "We hope that the success of this trial will inspire further innovation and expansion in this field."