Drones use detailed terrain data to build high resolution 3D maps of the areas to be reforested then fire a pregerminated seed pod into the soil with pressurized air

When we talk about drones, it usually revolves around something fun or some spectacular footage. And sometimes we discuss whether or not drone delivery will happen in the United States.

But, on a more serious note, there are some really useful applications for drones, including a new system from UK-based BioCarbon Engineering that hopes to reverse deforestation by planting one billion trees per year.

The system, which is expected to be a fully functioning platform by the end of 2015, uses an industrial-scale reforestation technique that is a fraction of the cost (15%) of traditional methods and much more efficient – it can plant up to 10s of thousands of trees per day.

More than 26 billion trees are cut down or burned each year, while only about 15 billion are replanted each year. TreeHugger takes a closer look at the system: