Planting Trees

Can Drones Help Plant Trees?

A recent start-up thinks drones are the answer to a world that, over the centuries, has lost a large percentage of its tree cover.

After mapping the terrain it flies over, a drone with a cargo hold full of sprouts would fire them, one-by-one, into the soil below, creating a planting pattern that best suited a given location.

My initial reaction was, 'hey, good idea'.  Then I got to thinking of all the things that could go wrong: four-legged creatures nibbling bark; two-legged creatures needing firewood.  Little green sprouts and no water for several days.  Infertile, rocky soil.

Probably the most troubling of these is lack of water when it's needed.  If terrain is wet enough, the soil will produce its own volunteer grass and shrubs, followed by trees that are best suited to the climate; the limiting factor here will likely be the presence of animals such as deer, goat, sheep and mice.  If the terrain is relatively dry, though, a human presence is all but mandatory, just to keep the project's seedlings from drying out.

In October of 2011 I posted an article on this blog that described how one could, with an investment in solar energy, turn a barren desert island into a lush paradise for about $3,000 per family homestead.  This would involve several machines, each of which pulled moisture out of the air, and coupled with drip irrigation, could conceivably turn a rocky island green.

Combine a portable drip irrigation system for a few dozen trees each with drone-based planting and you might have a workable system that could be used where trees are most needed: arid climates.

Would be fun to try different approaches and see which worked best in which settings.

The Mighty 55 -- Rock 'N Roll's Greatest

Counting Down The Greatest in Rock History

The Mighty 55 is a serial blog that I've been working on over the past 13 months.   I counted down the 55 historically most important acts, grading them on a 40-point scale, with 35 the top score, earned, as it happened, by the top 14 entries.

Of course there are genres like jazz and country that aren't covered here, save for a hat tip or two.  You have to draw the line somewhere.

I'll be referencing a few acts that came awfully close, and yet more that I've only just been introduced to.  All that at the end of our countdown.

On 2/18/18 (and again on 1/22/23)

New to list (green color)
Crossouts = moved to another space
Removed from list (red)

#55 - Jefferson Airplane My Morning Jacket

#54 - Indigo Girls

#53 - The Supremes Anna Ternheim

#52 - The Weavers Bonobo

#51 - Aretha Franklin Red Hot Chili Peppers

#50 - Alanis Morissette

#49 - Janis Joplin The Cranberries

#48 - Elton John Leon Russell

#47 - B. B. King

#46 - The Kinks

#45 - Carole King

#44 - Al Green

#43 - Traffic

#42 - Marvin Gaye

#41 - Radiohead

#40 - Sleater-Kinney Beth Orton

#39 - Donovan Muddy Waters

#38 - Chrissie Hynde

#37 - Thelonius Monk

#36 - Steely Dan

#35 - Emmylou Harris

#34 - Paul Simon

#33 - Eric Clapton Shook Twins

#32 - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

#31 - Sting

#30 - Stevie Wonder

#29 - The Doors David Bowie

#28 - David Byrne / Talking Heads

#27 - Peter Gabriel

#26 - R.E.M.

#25 - Fleetwood Mac

#24 - Leon Russell Niko Case

#23 - Crosby, Stills & Nash

#22 - Sly & The Family Stone

#21 - Linda Ronstadt

#20 - Eagles

#19 - Bob Dylan Aretha Franklin

#18 - Mark Knopfler / Dire Straits

#17 - Sarah McLachlan Jimi Hendrix

#16 - Pink Floyd

#15 - Django Reinhardt Neil Young

#14 - Santana Bob Dylan

#13 - Jimi Hendrix Dave Mathews Band

#12 - Neil Young Sarah McLachlan

#11 - The Allman Brothers Band

#10 - Joni Mitchell

#9 - Led Zepplin

#8 - Dave Matthews Band The Beatles

#7 - The Band Santana

#6 - The Beatles The Band

#5 - The Rolling Stones

#4 - The Grateful Dead

#3 - Bob Marley and the Wailers

#2 - U2

#1 - Your own fan favorite (mine: Natalie Merchant / 10,000 Maniacs)

A few that came close:

Van Morrison (honorary #56)

Blondie

Bonnie Raitt

Jackson Browne

The Who

Red Hot Chili Peppers (now on list)

James Brown

Credence Clearwater Revival

David Bowie (now on list)

Bo Diddley

Sam Cooke

Lovin' Spoonful

Muddy Waters (now on list)

And a few I've heard on the radio over the past year and liked, but haven't heard enough of to judge:

My Morning Jacket (now on list)

The Black Keys

Shook Twins (now on list)

Beth Orton (now on list)

Lucinda Williams

Bonobo (now on list)

Neko Case (now on list)

The Cranberries (now on list)

Karen O

Anna Ternheim (now on list)