A small update I found about The Indian Navy helping with aerial tree seeding
http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/andhra_pradesh/Aerial-Seeding-Operation-Comes-to-Vizag-Navy-to-Help/2015/08/31/article3002402.ece ''VISAKHAPATNAM: After Amaravathi capital region, the state government is all set to take up the aerial seeding operations in the city. Home minister N Chinna Rajappa during his visit here Sunday, formally launched the operations which will begin in a couple of days. Using Navy helicopter, the aerial seeding of six varieties of seeds will be done in over 1,980 hectares of land. As many as six locations, Kailasagiri, Marikavalasa, Simhachalam, Yarada and two places in Bheemili have been identified for the aerial seeding in which 1,980 hectares of land will be treated. About 19.8 tonnes of Vepa, Chinta, Subabul, Nallatumma, Rela and Gliricidia seeds will be used. The forest officials said that the seeds had been palletised mechanically to protect the seed from predators, pests and insect damage. It also increases the chances of seed survival and germination. The officials said that 15 varieties of seeds of about 41,000 kg had been accumulated for aerial seeding, including two other manual techniques like scooping & dibbling and broadcasting. For scooping and dibbling, the officials identified 11 locations in which around 890 hectares of area will be treated with 8.9 tonnes of seed like Kanuga, hill mango, Yegisa, Nallamaddi and Kunkudu. While for broadcasting, five locations have been identified in which 450 hectares of area will be treated with 4.5 tonnes of seeds like Vepa, Nallatumma, Sisso, Dirisenam and Kunkudu.'' On Wednesday, September 17, 2008 at 3:34:03 AM UTC+3, Alvia Gaskill wrote: > > Thanks to Juergen Michele, I uncovered the work of Dr. Moshe Alamaro from > MIT, who in the 1990's, developed his own aerial reforestation plan, basing > it in part on the idea of an RAF pilot, Jack Walters. The articles below > and the attachment, which covers the technical issues in more detail, makes > for fascinating reading in light of the recent Discovery Channel program, > Raining Forests. One wonders if Hodges and Impossible Pictures availed > themselves of the previous work done or was all of this a reinventing the > wheel exercise? Perhaps another example of the adage that there are no new > ideas (and most of the old ones don't work). > > Search for Alamaro aerial (no quotes) on Google for additional articles > from Time and Business Week. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "michele" <[email protected] <javascript:>> > To: <[email protected] <javascript:>> > Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2008 6:19 AM > Subject: Reforestation Canisters > > > Dear Alvia, > > > > since about 3 weeks I try to follow the communication of the "Google > > geoengineering group". > > In the discussion of reforestation I learnt from M. Alamaro that he had > > the idea to do this from an airplane. > > I am holding such a model canister in my hands. > > According to his explanations I am sure this would work. > > If you think this comment is worthwhile you may forward it to the group. > > > > Greetings from Germany > > > > Juergen Michele. > > > > PS: > > I am working on a paper on cloud generation using an "upwards directed > > artificial free jet" > > > > > > HTTP://BLDGBLOG.BLOGSPOT.COM/2005/10/TREE-BOMBS.HTML > <http://bldgblog.blogspot.com/2005/10/TREE-BOMBS.HTML> > > > > > > TREE BOMBS > > As if BLDGBLOG could serve as an I Ching forecast, two earlier posts > > merged in real life: while we were off soil-bombing Iceland, MIT's Moshe > > Alamaro - of the famed anti-hurricane jet engine barges - was strafing > the > > earth with tree seeds. > > Aerial reforestation. > > Back in 1997, Alamaro "designed conical canisters, of a starchy > > biodegradable material, which each contain a seedling packed in soil and > > nutrients. The canisters are dropped from a low-flying plane, so that > they > > hit the ground at 200 m.p.h., and imbed themselves in the soil. Then the > > canisters decompose and the young trees take root. A large aircraft could > > drop as many as 100,000 saplings in a single flight: Alamaro's system > > could plant as many as a million trees in one day." > > Whole forests, fired from F-16s. > > Stealth forestry. > > > > http://alamaro.home.comcast.net/~alamaro/Alamaro-bio.htm > > > > > *Moshe Alamaro* > > Harvard-MIT Division of Health > Sciences & Technology > Massachusetts Institute of Technology > Room E25-342 > Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 > > > 617-244-7995 > 617-258-5290 > 617-939-4352 cell > *Email: My Last Name at MIT.EDU <http://MIT.EDU>* > > > > > > > > > As a graduate student and later as a Research Scientist at the MIT > Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS > <http://www-eaps.mit.edu/>) Moshe Alamaro helped to design, build and > manage the MIT Air-Sea Interaction Lab > <http://www.mit.edu/afs/athena/org/h/hurricanelab/> where he supervised > six students. He specializes in fluid mechanics, heat and mass transfer, > thermodynamics, applied mechanics and mechanics of materials, hydrology, > sea-air interaction, ice engineering, compressible flow, medical stents and > implants, optimization and nonlinear programming, project initiatives, > cross-disciplinary research and engineering involving product and process > development and inventing "on demand". > > Mr. Alamaro, a US citizen, received the Mechanical Engineer's Degree from > the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, M.S. in Atmospheric Sciences > from MIT and B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from the Technion-Israel > Institute of Technology. Until recently he has been a visiting scientist > <http://eapsweb.mit.edu/people/person.asp?position=Visiting&who=alamaro> > at the MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences. > > *Recognitions and Awards* > > MIT Inventor of the Week (December 1997) for developing a concept for > aerial reforestation that addresses climate change and the emerging market > for carbon sequestering credit. > > > http://www.quasar.ualberta.ca/edse456/apt/vignettes/alamaro.htm > > *Moshe Alamaro: Aerial Reforestation* > > By Heather Clark > > Trees play a major role in biotic communities around the world. They > perform many roles from cleaning our air by reducing the amount of carbon > dioxide that is in the atmosphere, to preventing erosion as well as > providing habitats for a variety of animals. They are a valuable resource! > > Many forests, including the rainforests, are being destroyed from a number > of things including human activity and the lumber industry. How do we > replace the hundreds of acres of trees that are being destroyed every > minute when a single human can only plant 1000 trees a day? > > Jack Walters began work on a project that Moshe Alamaro would later > complete. Walters and the US Manufacturer Lockheed Martin Aerospace had the > idea to use military aircrafts, normally used to lay landmines across > combat zones, to plant seedlings. Walters, though onto the idea, would need > Alamaro to bring the invention to life. > > Moshe Alamaro, a graduate student at Massachusetts Institute, developed > the idea that tree seedlings, packed in canisters with soil and nutrients, > could be planted by dropping them out of an airplane. Moshe was not an > ecologist by background; he was an aeronautical engineer and it is the > skills that the gained with that background that helped him solve the > dilemma of reforestation. > > The pointed canisters would implant in the soil when dropped but soon > after would decompose. The canisters are made out of a starchy > biodegradable substance that could be broken down by bacteria found in > water and soil. Moshe also developed a way to make sure that the trees were > in fact growing. He designed an airborne surveillance system that would > monitor the early growth of the trees > > Dropping the canisters out of the plane, would help facilitate planting on > different surfaces that might be hard to reach, such as mountain cliffs. > > Using this method, as many as 100,000 saplings could be planted in one > flight and over 900,000 trees could be planted in one day! > > Questions > > 1. What implications might this discovery have on current conservation > techniques? > > 2. To whom should the invention be credited? > > 3. What are some arguments against the proposed method of planting? > > 4. What does Moshe’s background demonstrate about a career or discovery in > science? > > References > > http://web.mit.edu/invent/www/inventorsA-H/moshe.html > > http://www.inventorsmuseum.com/alamaro.htm > > http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m1590/n12_v54/20474331/p1/article.html > > http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/ > > http://www.ciensin.org/docs/002-111/002-111.html > > © Heather Clark. Reprinted with permission from Heather Clark. All > rights reserved. > > > > http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/alamaro.html > > *Aerial Reforestation* > > Moshe Alamaro, a graduate student in Mechanical Engineering at MIT, has > developed a revolutionary method of battling global warming: planting new > trees from the air. > > [image: Moshe]As most people are aware, millions of acres of forest have > been destroyed in the last century, due not only to humans---most notably > the lumber industry---but also to climatic change and forest fires. > Traditional reforestation methods, tedious and time-consuming, can replace > only a tiny percentage of these trees. > > Alamaro has invented an incredibly efficient system. He designed conical > canisters, of a starchy biodegradable material, which eachcontain a > seedling packed in soil and nutrients. The canisters are dropped from a > low-flying plane, so that they hit the ground at 200 m.p.h., and imbed > themselves in the soil. Then the canisters decompose and the young trees > take root. A large aircraft could drop as many as 100,000 saplings in a > single flight: Alamaro's system could plant as many as a million trees in > one day. > > Unsuccessful experiments along similar lines were done in Canada in the > early 1970s. But Alamaro, an aeronautical engineer, has made the process > practicable. He uses a combination of ballistics and navigation technology > to place the saplings accurately. His canisters are strong enough to > withstand the impact but still decompose quickly. Moreover, Alamaro's > system is overseen by a airborne surveillance system, which guarantees > safety and also monitors the early growth of the trees. > Alamaro is now joining forces with international conservation and energy > organizations. Large-scale reforestation significantly reduces the carbon > dioxide in the atmosphere, thus counteracting global warming. In addition, > new trees fight erosion, promote biodiversity, and protect the habitat of > local wildlife. Unsurprisingly, Moshe Alamaro's ideas have stirred up a > great deal of interest, and hopefully it will not be long before his unique > and efficient system is being used around the world. > > [Dec. 1997] > > > <http://web.mit.edu/invent/invent-main.html> > <http://web.mit.edu/invent/i-main.html> > <http://web.mit.edu/invent/i-main.html> > <http://web.mit.edu/invent/h-main.html> > <http://web.mit.edu/invent/h-main.html> > <http://web.mit.edu/invent/g-main.html> > <http://web.mit.edu/invent/g-main.html> > <http://web.mit.edu/invent/r-main.html> > <http://web.mit.edu/invent/r-main.html> > > http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1590/is_n12_v54/ai_20474331 > > *Bombs away! - innovative concept of planting tree saplings via > biodegradable plastic cones dropped by plane - Brief Article* > Maria L. Chang > > What's the fastest way to plant a forest? Grab a plane and drop bombs. No, > not the explosive kind, but a bomb even a mom could love--tree bombs! > > Engineer Moshe Alamaro of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has > come up with cone-shaped canisters made of biodegradable plastic. That > means the plastic is naturally broken down by bacteria in soil and > water--it doesn't harm the environment. Then Alamaro packs year-old tree > saplings, water, and nutrients in the canisters. > > Alamaro's bombs still haven't flown yet--he's trying to get funding for > his project. But here's his scenario: When high-flying planes drop the > bombs over hard-to-reach terrain like mountains, the cones hurtle to the > ground, where their sharp points pierce the soil. Within a few days, the > plastic canisters degrade and saplings spread their roots. > > "It's a neat concept," says Frank Burch of the U.S. Forest Service in > Washington, D.C. But trying to reseed bare mountains by plane is no picnic. > Shortly after World War II, foresters attempted aerial reseeding in the > U.S. But the project bombed. Mice and gophers gobbled up most seeds and > their populations exploded. So most trees were nipped in the bud. Now one > option is to coat tree seeds, with pesticide to repel hungry rodents. > > Once saplings sprout into young trees, they're an environmental dream. > Their roots hold on to the soil to keep it from eroding, or wearing away. > They also soak up rain that might otherwise flood lowland areas. > > Alamaro envisions his tree bombs waging an even larger environmental > baffle. He wants to combat global warming. One of the major culprits is > carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas" that traps heat in the atmosphere, > raising the Earth's temperature. Trees readily absorb carbon dioxide from > the atmosphere through their leaves. They use the carbon along with > hydrogen from water to make glucose sugar--their own tree food. > > Experts estimate that a pine-tree forest twice the size of Alaska could > offset the amount of carbon humans spew into the atmosphere. > > Obviously, this is one case in which almost anyone would agree: Drop those > bombs! > > FAST FACT > > A single plane could plant as many as 100,000 trees in one flight. > > Between 1980 and 1965, rain forests were destroyed at a rate of 72 acres a > minute! > > Human activities--like burning gasoline and coal--emit 7 billion tons of > carbon into the atmosphere every year. > > COPYRIGHT 1998 Scholastic, Inc. > COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group > > > > http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/1999/sep/02/paulbrown > > > > Aerial bombardment to reforest the earth > > - *Paul Brown* <http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/paulbrown>, > Environment Correspondent > - The Guardian <http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian>, > - Thursday September 2 1999 > - Article history > > Forests are to be created by dropping millions of trees out of aircraft. > Equipment installed in the huge C-130 transport aircraft used by the > military for laying carpets of landmines across combat zones has been > adapted to deposit the trees in remote areas including parts of Scotland. > > An idea, originally from a former RAF pilot, Jack Walters, of Bridgnorth, > Shropshire, has been developed by the US manufacturer Lockheed Martin > Aerospace so that 900,000 young trees can be planted in a day. > > A company set up to market the idea, Aerial Forestation Inc, of Newton, > Massachusetts, believes that companies with polluting power plants will be > forced by governments to plant forests to offset the global warming effect > of the carbon dioxide they emit. Planting via the C-130s will halve the > cost of manual methods. > > Peter Simmons, from Lockheed, said: "Equipment we developed for precision > planting of fields of landmines can be adapted easily for planting trees. > > "There are 2,500 C-130 transport aircraft in 70 countries, so the delivery > system for planting forests is widely available - mostly mothballed in > military hangers waiting for someone to hire them. > > "The possibilities are amazing. We can fly at 1,000ft at 130 knots > planting more than 3,000 cones a minute in a pattern across the landscape - > just as we did with landmines, but in this case each cone contains a > sapling. That's 125,000 trees for each sortie and 900,000 trees in a day." > > The tree cones are pointed and designed to bury themselves in the ground > at the same depth as if they had been planted by hand. They contain > fertilizer and a material that soaks up surrounding moisture, watering the > roots of the tree. > > The containers are metal but rot immediately so the tree can put its roots > into the soil. > > Moshe Alamaro for Aerial Forestation was in Bridgnorth last week visiting > Dr Walters, who published his idea in a paper 25 years ago while at the > university of British Columbia in Canada. > > Mr Alamaro said: "We are seriously considering contacting British royalty > and recommending that Jack is knighted. > > "It was a great idea, which he tested at the time and found it worked, but > the technology was not up to the job. Now with metal that biodegrades at > once as it hits the soil, we are planting the trees and giving them a head > start all at once." > > Dr Walters said: "I am delighted the idea has been taken seriously. I did > the preliminary tests to make sure the trees survived the fall, and it all > worked. But I hadn't any money for a development budget. > > "Moshe read about my work in the scientific literature and came to see > me." > > He said a man on the ground can plant 1,000 trees a day. "If we are going > to combat global warming by collecting carbon in the wood of trees, we will > want millions of them a year. Airborne planting is probably the only way." > > Mr Alamaro believes that the system will work in any area that used to > contain trees, and even in desert areas where the cones can be adapted to > plant suitable shrubs. He has a pilot project planned for the Sinai desert > in Egypt. > > "One of the areas we are interested in is the Scottish mountains which > used to be forested and could be again. We have already talked to > landowners, and they are a bit worried about local resistance because > people have got used to seeing the hills bare. We could replant the native > forest very quickly." > > He also hopes to replant large areas of the Black Forest cut down during > the cold war to provide "line of sight" across the iron curtain between > east and west Germany, and is exploring contracts in north Africa, the > tundra of Canada, Australia and the US. > > In five years he believes that his company could be planting a billion > trees a year - enough to reforest 3,000 square miles. > > http://63.240.200.111/pages/pdfs/data/1997/151-02/15102-16.pdf > > > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "geoengineering" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
