Rosenheim, Germany, May 6th, 2021

FlyingBasket and Bayerische Staatsforsten (BaySF) joined forces in order to test the use of cargo drones for tree planting in the mountains. After FlyingBasket obtained cross-border operation authorisation by the Federal Aviation Office in Germany, the team was able to start the trial: transporting 2,000 young trees from a location in the valley of Aschau, Southern Bavaria, to 18 planting locations up in the mountains near the famous Kampenwand.

The team of Flying Basket used the FB3 cargo drone for the task. Three young BaySF talents studied different aspects of the test. Experienced forestry professionals provided guidance during the whole process. The trial was successful; all plants got transported safely and efficiently to the relevant locations.

Bernd Meier, deputy head of the BaySF training center in Laubau, Ruhpolding, was happy with the results: “Work with the team was great. Everyone gave 100% and we had a lot of fun and learned a lot. We see big potential in the use of the technology not only for planting in steep terrain, but also to provide our people with forestry equipment, which they otherwise need to carry. Remote sensing is another interesting field with big innovation potential.”

About Bayerische Staatsforsten
State owned company in Bavaria that manages 7,500 square kilometers of forest in Bavaria, Southern Germany, applying the high standards for sustainable forest management. Each year, the company plants 6 million young trees as part of a long-term strategy to increase diversity of forest ecosystems and increase resilience during climate change. While workers plant a large share of this in forest areas that are easy to access, a certain amount of planting also happens in steep, remote terrain. This is where the innovation team of BaySF wanted to learn more about possible benefits and limitations of using cargo drones under real forestry conditions.