Aerial seeding of forests in Russia: A selected literature analysis

The study is intended for international readers or those unable to read Russian. Information search was carried out in Russian-language databases (Russian libraries and ELibrary.ru) and English-language databases. . Currently, there are a large number of sites in the Russian forests that need to be restored. For many of them, reforestation by ground-based seeding or planting is inefficient or not available. Sowing forest from the air in Russia has more than half a century of history. The results of retrospective analysis show that the choice of the reforestation method depends on the site characteristics and the level of negative environmental impact. Generally, the cost of aerial seeding on such sites with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) is lower compared to the use of manned aerial vehicles (MAV). This study will aid in the planning of new forestry experiments to study reforestation with the assistance of natural reforestation in Russia. The study will enable correct plant propagation protocols for sustainable forest management. However, many questions remained unresolved: what types of UAV and sowing apparatus to use; how to position the UAV under a forest canopy?