The Agricultural University of Athens offers an innovative application for the restoration of forest ecosystems using drones.
Profitable and efficient
This is an absolutely innovative sowing method that will allow you to effectively and quickly restore vegetation in hard-to-reach places where human intervention is impossible. Christos Karavitis, Associate Professor of Water Management, says:
“The first selected area was Kineta, which suffered from a fire on July 23, 2018. The second district is located in Alepochori, which was badly damaged by fire on August 11, 2021.”
He argues that the use of drones for reforestation is profitable and effective, they can be applied immediately and in a short period of time over large areas. Christos Karavitis in detail told about the new methodology.
How drone reforestation works
The proposed innovative method, after appropriate permits, was applied as a pilot project on selected plots of 5-10 ha. The methodology includes digital mapping for the production of topographic maps, orthophotomaps (1945, 1992 and 2014, i.e. changes over a period of up to 80 years), digital terrain models (Digital Terrain Models – DTM) of pilot sites, climatic and hydrological-hydrographic conditions , relief, soils, geological and geomorphological characteristics, socio-economic issues, harvesting and processing of seeds of regenerative and anti-corrosion plant species, construction of a special sowing container on a UAV, computerized and automated planning and sowing.
The latest methods were used to create a digital elevation model in order to analyze the state of the soil surface affected by the fire. After mapping and analyzing the geological conditions, the experts determined whether the area was at high risk of landslides or had problems with erosion due to rain and wind. Based on these criteria, the directions of activity were chosen.
Planning and implementation of sowing work was carried out using a drone with a suitable container. The planted seeds were sprayed with various pesticides, surrounded by a damp cotton film and placed in a clay capsule, in which, with the help of the GPA biotechnology laboratory, various fertilizers and growth promoters were added.
Planting planning includes the purchase and preparation of seeds, building and configuring the seeding mechanism that will be integrated into the drone, and planting planning in terms of operation, which will regulate how much of each type of seed will be applied per unit area. Fill planning is the most important part of a project’s success and requires technologically sound and programmatically accurate procedures to produce positive results.
Advantages of drone reforestation
With the help of drones, it is possible to access areas outside the main road network, more remote or difficult to access due to high morphological gradients, and at the same time there is no interference with the ground. In areas with a high intensity of burning, the earth needs more protection. The big advantage of using drones in reforestation is the absence of interference with the soil (rupture of the soil crust, mechanical displacement and disturbance by pedestrians, etc.).
This is a new technology that needs to be tested in the field. The central objective of the project is to transfer successful precision farming practices to forest ecosystems, with an emphasis on post-fire areas that have great problems in restoring after the destruction of the vegetation cover. It is considered how regeneration can also prevent strong corrosion phenomena (water, wind, mechanical).
Cost of work and who pays for it
The total cost of works exceeds 250,000 euros in real terms over a 2.5-year application horizon. Only 10% is covered financially by the respective sponsorship of MOTOR OIL. The rest is not covered directly, but indirectly by GPA (work of 13 employees, availability of laboratories, equipment and materials), Amygdaleza timber processing plant, Attica. (5 employees, provision of laboratories, equipment and supplies) and the Megara Forestry Department (employment offer for employees, issuance of permits, supervision of procedures).
The pilot drone reforestation method in the Gerania Mountains was implemented under the auspices of the Department of Technical Projects of Forestry of the Ministry of Environment and Energy, with the prompt issuance of the relevant permits and with the personal support on the spot by the Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy, Giorgos Amiras.
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