How do you reverse the damage done to the planet when 3 billion to 6 billion trees are cut down every year to make way for other crops such as soy beans, palm oil trees or grazing land for cattle?

Replanting trees is one obvious solution. Earlier this year, a charitable organization planted 1 million seedlings in one day in Ecuador. Although admirable, more trees are needed to keep up with industrial-scale deforestation.

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A UK-based startup called BioCarbon Engineering thinks they have an answer. CEO Lauren Fletcher and his team have a plan for using fixed-wing and multiple-rotor drones to plant 1 billion trees per year.

The process begins by deploying fixed wing drones to assess areas in need of replanting and create 3-D maps.

Using the mapping data, multiple-rotor shoots seed pods at specific locations - much like a paintball gun shoots pellets, according to the startup's team.

Later, drones will swing back around to audit the status of growth, information that will be used to assess the ecosystem and improve planting methods going forward. See the video below for more details.