View all

Spring Ops 1 (Silviculture) - Six Months Before A Drone Lifts Off

Preparing a planting season starts months before drones reach the field. Our 2026 season began in October 2025, with Andrew Austin, Silviculture Manager, initiating detailed site assessments across the project areas.

Planning begins with a multi-source evaluation of each block. Satellite imagery, digital elevation models, and topographic wetness indices are combined with provincial ecosite classification, forest inventory data, and historical silviculture records to characterize site conditions. These datasets are used to assess slope, soil texture, drainage, moisture regime, and existing vegetation, forming the basis for determining whether a site is suitable for direct seeding.

Where feasible, these desktop assessments are supported by ground-truthing to validate interpretations of soil conditions, competition, and natural regeneration. Engagement with local and Indigenous stakeholders is also incorporated into planning to ensure alignment with land use priorities and regulatory expectations.

Using this information, site conditions are interpreted within established silviculture frameworks across jurisdictions to ensure prescriptions are consistent with regional standards and ecological capability. Each prescription defines species selection, seeding densities, and spatial treatment strategies based on site class, ecosite, and disturbance history. Areas with unsuitable seedbeds, excessive competition, or other limiting factors are excluded from treatment to improve establishment success and ensure responsible application.

These prescriptions are designed to support natural regeneration processes rather than impose uniform outcomes. Variability in stocking is expected and planned for, with target densities accounting for germination rates, competition-related mortality, and site-specific risks such as frost heaving or moisture limitations.

Seed sourcing follows the same long-term planning horizon. Seed is sourced from local or regionally appropriate sources to maintain ecological integrity and adaptability. Following procurement, cones are processed (when applicable), seed is extracted and stratified, and then delivered to our Calgary facility where it is incorporated into seed pods. This process takes several months and must be initiated well in advance of deployment.

The final prescription document drives all downstream operations. Seed volumes, pod production, and flight planning are all derived from site-level prescriptions, with operational timelines built backward from the target deployment window. This ensures that by the time drones are in the air, every aspect of the treatment has been planned in accordance with site conditions, regulatory frameworks, and reforestation objectives.

Interested to help on our mission?
Get in Touch