Canadian company uses drones to plant trees in Quebec's burned forests

Drones are launching seed-filled capsules into the blackened forests of northern Quebec to replant areas burned by wildfire. The Canadian company Flash Forest developed the aerial system to seed landscapes that are difficult to access on foot. This follows the 2023 wildfire season in Quebec, which saw about 4.5 million hectares of forest burn. Flash Forest's latest report states it planted 686,147 trees across five sites in 2025, covering 429 hectares of damaged land.

The company uses biodegradable pods that contain everything a young tree needs to start growing in damaged soil. Each capsule is packed with seeds, nutrients, moisture-retaining materials and mycorrhizal fungi to help roots absorb nutrients. Custom drones fire these pods directly into the ground, allowing seeds to germinate in place without being raised in a nursery first. This method avoids the transplant shock that can affect nursery saplings and lets crews seed large areas quickly without driving heavy equipment over the fragile forest floor.

Flash Forest has been working with the Oujé-Bougoumou Cree First Nation to restore areas hit by the 2023 fires, which destroyed wildlife habitats and traditional hunting grounds. The partnership was crucial when a shortage of native seeds arose in northern Quebec. To collect jack pine cones, teams travelled by snowmobile and climbed trees in temperatures as low as -30°C. That winter operation gathered roughly 8.5 million seeds, which were turned into planting pods within five months. Benny Blacksmith of the Oujé-Bougoumou Cree First Nation said the drone method helps restore habitats without causing more disturbance to the land. He described how the fires caused even small animals to vanish from affected areas, disrupting the food chain for larger species. The community wants to see native species like white birch and black spruce come back to the landscape.

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The company's work involves monitoring the sites after planting. Crews survey existing vegetation and return to check on seedling growth. They have set up test plots to compare the performance of their engineered pods against untreated seeds and areas recovering naturally. Some Quebec sites have already seen delayed germination due to warmer weather and less rain, and further checks are scheduled for fall 2026.

While fire is a natural part of the boreal forest cycle, severe blazes and climate change can disrupt the recovery process. Jack pine cones typically open from heat and release seeds onto cleared ground. Flash Forest's technology introduces new seeds where that natural regeneration is struggling. The drones can implant a seed pod in seconds, but it will take years to see which seeds take root and what kind of forest grows back.

With files from Designboom