Aerial drones plant grass, tree seeds in Tibet

The Tibet autonomous region has been testing aerial drones for seeding for the first time, Tibet Daily reported.

The operation includes both grass and tree seeds in nine counties and districts of the region's four major cities — Lhasa, Shigatse, Lhokha, and Nyingchi.

With an investment of more than 115 million yuan ($18 million), the aerial seeding work will be performed in 25 zones, covering an area of nearly 443 square kilometers until June 30. This period is considered best for success this year, according to an analysis done by metrologist and drone operators.

The region made a series of helicopter flights in June last year to see if tree seeds can be effectively planted from the air. That trial covered an area of 14,533 hectares with more than 119 metric tons of tree seeds. The results of that effort are expected to be observable within five years.