Drones drop seeds across Peak District ravine to restore remote woodland habitat

The trial, led by Government agency Natural England, is believed to be one of the first of its kind focused on this type of steep, hard-to-reach landscape.

The specially piloted drones spread the seeds of a mix of native trees across a 0.75-hectare plot at Dovedale and a similar area at Lathkill Dale, Natural England said.

It comes as part of a wider project led by the agency to explore innovative ways to restore these rare habitats, which are being devastated by ash dieback – a fungal disease that is killing ash trees across the country.

Conservation teams had already been carrying out traditional tree planting and seeding by hand across the Peak District Dale.

But they faced a major challenge in accessing the steep, rocky sides of Dovedale and Lathkill Dale because they are too dangerous or difficult to work on by hand, Natural England said.

Drones may offer a safe, efficient and cost-effective alternative, mimicking the natural way seeds would disperse if mature trees were already present, it added.

The technology has already been used successfully for the reforestation of open upland landscapes such as the Scottish Highlands and Dartmoor.

However, Natural England said the Peak District trial marked a significant step in applying the technology to steep, confined woodland ravines.

Martin Evans, woodland restoration manager at Natural England, said: “The ravine woodlands of the Peak District Dales are among the most precious and challenging habitats we work in.

“Ash dieback has created an urgent need to act, but the sheer steepness of these slopes means we must think creatively about how we restore them.

“This drone trial is an exciting step forward.

“By testing what technology can achieve in places our teams simply cannot safely reach, we hope to unlock new tools to support woodland recovery at scale.

“Every seed that takes root is a step towards healthier, more resilient woodlands for the future.”

Adam Linnet, lead ranger at the National Trust in the White Peak, said: “This trial will help us to explore new techniques and technology to work at the pace and scale needed to help the woodlands in the area recover and thrive again.

“The trees in the steep sided ravines in and around the National Nature Reserve at Dovedale support wildlife, store carbon, stabilise the ground, prevent erosion and flooding, and make the area look beautiful throughout the seasons.”

Seeds spread during the trial include field maple, wych elm, alder, small-leaved lime, birch, rowan, yew, goat willow, crab apple and holly.

The teams said the success of the trial will be monitored, with trays placed within and around the seeding areas to check the accuracy of seed dispersal.

One-metre-square monitoring plots will also be set up inside the seeded areas, which will be visited several times a year to track germination rates and sapling survival.

Plots will also be set up outside the seeding areas to provide a comparison.

Natural England said the trial will also help assess whether drone seeding is cost-effective compared with traditional planting and seeding methods.