Innovations in direct seeding: new Spanish techniques in forest lanscape restoration

On average, forest fires affect more than 500,000 hectares of land every year in the Mediterranean region, 100,000 hectares in Spain alone. Although Spain has monumental experience in forest landscape restoration (5 million hectares restored in approximately 60 years and the majority of them on very difficult sites), this experience does not adequately meet the current needs of society’s environmental protection concerns, modern day aesthetics, nor the relevant economic situation. Given this scenario, Grupo Sylvestris, a social entrepreneurship with a mission to fill the world with trees and also known for their design and engineering ingenuity, has decided to implement a ”direct seeding“ approach versus “plantations“ in the restoration of burned areas. Because of the vast benefits of direct seeding (environmental, social and economic), this company has developed innovative tools, protections against predation, new seed treatments and aerial seeding techniques that make the restoration process more efficient and economically viable.