A groundbreaking woodland creation project in the Scottish Borders has seen advanced drone technology deployed to seed over two million native trees across inaccessible upland areas.
For the first time in the UK, heavy lift drones have been licensed to operate to beyond the line of sight while dispersing pelleted tree seeds in remote areas in the hills surrounding Talla Reservoir as part of a Scottish Water project to help protect water quality at the site.
Forming part of an envisaged 80-hectare woodland creation scheme on land surrounding the reservoir, the first drone seeding phase focused on a 20-hectare area where the publicly-owned utility company hopes to enrich existing woodland across the upper slopes of the catchment.
Working with delivery partner Bell Ingram and stakeholders, proposals for the Talla Water Woods project could additionally see thousands of native broadleaves such as aspen, rowan, oak, alder and downy birch planted at the site towards the south eastern end of the reservoir, as well as establishing montane woodland in the higher altitude areas of the site.
The aim is to help stabilise the soil surrounding the reservoir so that less organic matter is washed into the water during periods of extreme rainfall which are increasing in frequency due to climate change. This will make the treatment process simpler and less energy intensive.
Woodland creation programme manager at Scottish Water, Stephen Garbett, said: “This is a completely innovative approach to woodland creation and we are really excited to be working with Bell Ingram and AutoSpray Systems to make use of this cutting edge technology at Talla Reservoir.
“The nature of the landscape here means that traditional methods of tree planting would be extremely difficult and time consuming to carry out so to be able to harness this drone technology to effectively open up areas of the site like this is great. We are looking forward to seeing the results now that the first phase of drone seeding has been completed.”
Climate Action Secretary Gillian Martin said: “Our forests and woodlands are a natural powerhouse, and one of the most important resources we have to tackle the climate and nature emergencies. I welcome this initiative from Scottish Water which will help to create new woodland – helping to increase local biodiversity, whilst creating a natural way to reduce flooding in the area.”
Sam Guthrie, Forest Manager at Bell Ingram said: “This pioneering project involves planting 2.1 million native tree seeds using novel drone and seed pelletisation technology, supporting Scottish Water’s net zero ambitions and woodland creation goals.
“We are proud to deliver Scotland’s first drone-sown upland native woodland with approval to operate a drone ‘Beyond Visual Line of Sight’, combining cutting-edge innovation with best-practice forestry and strong environmental stewardship.
“Through projects like Talla Water Woods, the team is setting new standards for sustainable woodland creation, maximising outcomes for both climate and client.”
Industry leading drone company AutoSpray Systems carried out the work. CEO Rob Pearson said: “We at AutoSpray Systems are excited and proud to be delivering this project with Scottish Water. It’s a pioneering operation, harnessing drone technology to sow 2.1 million native seeds on challenging terrain, a significant step forward for the UK forestry sector.
“We hope the woodland will be a powerful demonstration of how innovation and technology can be harnessed to support conservation and environmental projects.”
The Talla project builds on the back of other local initiatives such as Talla and Gameshope to the south of the reservoir owned by the Borders Forest Trust, helping to link up habitats and create wildlife corridors as part of the Wild Heart Expansion Project, which has significant benefits for biodiversity.
A total of 55 hectares of the scheme could be made up of montane woodland, making it one of the largest montane schemes in the Southern Uplands. The important habitat has almost vanished in Scotland due to grazing by red deer and sheep and will have a positive impact on biodiversity and flood mitigation in the area.
