UAE Drones for Good England from zee on Vimeo

Unmanned aerial vehicles are gaining some valuable job experience. There are already drone rangers, deliverymen, and firefighters, but now these flying bots can add one more skill to the ol’ resume: Forester.

BioCarbon Engineering, a U.K.-based startup run by a former NASA engineer, is on a mission to fight industrial-scale deforestation, which robs our planet of 26 billion trees each year. First, drones conduct aerial surveys and produce detailed 3-D maps of areas to be reforested. Then, planting drones fly in and sow the seeds. The drones can plant 36,000 seeds a day at a cost of just 15 percent of traditional methods, such as planting by hand. The company hopes to put their plans into action by the end of the year.

Of course, nothing combats deforestation like not doing it in the first place. But until we get better at that, these green machines will be soaring over new saplings.

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