Can drone-mounted tree planting replace manual tree planting?

Over the past three years, tree planting has remained relatively stable in Norway. In 2024, more than 48 million tree seedlings were planted, covering over 2,600 square kilometres. According to Statistics Norway, this is the highest number in over 30 years.

Tree planting using today's manual methods can be challenging due to labour shortages and varying terrain conditions. It is often difficult to find enough people for each planting season. 

Large machines are unsuitable

Large excavator-mounted tree-planting machines do exist, but they are expensive and work best in large, open, and flat areas. These machines can get stuck or tip over. This makes them unsuitable for the steep and inaccessible forested areas that are common in Norway. 

“Much of Norwegian forests is owned by small-scale forest owners. For them, it’s just not economically feasible to bring in a large planting machine, even if their forest is flat enough to use them,” says NIBIO researcher Steffan Lloyd.

He explains that drones could be a solution to the challenges of manual planting. Drones don’t need to be large and can easily be transported to the planting site. They can fly over rough terrain and land where planting is needed, regardless of ground conditions. 

This makes it possible to plant trees in areas that are difficult for humans to access.

SkyPlanter

The tree-planting drone SkyPlanter is the result of a collaboration between NIBIO and the University of Southern Denmark.

“NIBIO built the seedling-planting mechanism, while our Danish partners developed the drone,” says Lloyd.

The project began in 2023, and the first prototype was tested in October last year.

Lloyd explains that there are already drone systems using so-called 'seed bombing,' where seeds are dropped from the drone and land on the surface. This works in some situations but not all.

“Our solution focuses on precision planting of trees, which provides better control over where the trees are planted and a higher success rate. This is important to ensure the trees grow into large, healthy forests,” says Lloyd.

Currently, the drone must be operated by a pilot on the ground, but the researchers plan to use cameras and laser scanners to scan the terrain and identify the best planting spots. 

The use of artificial intelligence will also make the system more autonomous and efficient.

The planting process takes three steps

The system consists of a custom-built drone with four rotors, a planting tool that weighs about four kilograms, a mechanism to reload new seedlings, and a compressed air system that enables strong movements without significantly increasing the weight.

“The planting process occurs in three steps,” says Lloyd.

1. A pointed tool is driven into the ground with a short, powerful thrust to make a hole.
2. A hatch opens, and the seedling is dropped into the hole.
3. Finally, a claw-like mechanism pushes down to pack the soil around the plant.

The entire process, from when the drone lands to when it takes off again, takes less than ten seconds. The system weighs under 25 kilograms, and current batteries allow it to fly continuously for just over 20 minutes.

Economics and future challenges

Drones are much cheaper and easier to transport than large machines. This makes them more cost-effective for forest planting.

“It’s unlikely that each forest owner will buy their own planting drone. We envision a rental system, making the service more accessible for small-scale forest owners. This could significantly reduce the cost of forest planting,” says Lloyd.

The NIBIO researcher emphasises that the project is still in an early development phase, with much work remaining to make the system commercially viable. This includes improvements to both hardware and software.

“We are already working on version 2. We want to solve some of the issues we experienced with the first prototype. For example, we aim to ensure the drone can handle obstacles and plant in different terrain conditions,” says Lloyd.

So far, the researchers have found that the system struggles if the soil is too hard. There is a limit to how much force the drone can exert to press the plants into the ground.

“We also need to look at how to expand the drone’s planting capacity. The prototype can only carry seven seedlings. A commercial version should handle closer to 25. In the future, we envision drones that can plant autonomously and work in coordinated ‘swarms.’ This way, large areas could be planted quickly by a single operator,” he says.

For now, the SkyPlanter project will continue until fall 2026. The researchers are currently pursuing a patent and will consider further commercialisation of the technology.

About the project

The work is funded by Horizon Europe, as part of SPADE – a larger project developing drone technology for various applications, including tree planting.

This content is paid for and presented by NIBIO - Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research

This content is created by NIBIO's communication staff, who use this platform to communicate science and share results from research with the public. NIBIO is one of more than 80 owners of ScienceNorway.no. Read more here.

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