Robot-based handling in seedling and sapling cultivation for reforestation

Forests in Germany and around the world are endangered and, to date, reforestation measures have not been sufficient to compensate for the damage caused. The OrbiRoboTree project is therefore investigating new methods for the indoor cultivation of tree seedlings in order to prepare them as well as possible for later planting in the field. AI-supported robotics enables flexible handling of the plants, automatic loading of the system, and efficient scaling of production.

The growing demand for tree seedlings exceeds the capacity of traditional seedling production, which is labor-intensive and requires a lot of space, time, and resources. OrbiRoboTree addresses these issues by supplementing the OrbiPlant® system developed at Fraunhofer IME with versatile robotics to achieve complete automation. The vertical farming concept secures the plants, continuously aligns them optimally, and improves light and nutrient supply. Aeroponic irrigation also reduces the consumption of water, fertilizer, and pesticides. A robotic arm is equipped to pick up cuttings from disordered environments, insert them vertically into the OrbiPlant® system, and carefully remove the rooted seedlings after the cultivation phase and send them for final post-treatment.

Fully automated indoor cultivation will enable seedlings to be produced independently of location, weather, and season, which will both increase productivity and reduce transport emissions. Initial field trials will test the quality of the growth success.

The project contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): It supports the regeneration of forest ecosystems and reduces water consumption (SDG 6), strengthens industry and innovation (SDG 9), enables sustainable seedling production (SDG 12), and accelerates global reforestation efforts (SDG 13 & 15). In addition, OrbiRoboTree's technologies can be easily adapted to other types of seedlings, for example to combat desertification in Mediterranean regions.