Collaborative Research: GCR: Rooted in Nature: Bioinspired Design of Sustainable Seeding Methods to Improve Forest Regeneration

Forest regeneration is crucial for addressing climate change, but challenges such as scarce seed availability and time-intensive seedling cultivation hinder many projects. To reduce costs and increase the effectiveness of seeding, a convergent team comprised of experts from material science, engineering design, bio- and soil mechanics, soft robotics, plant science, and forest ecology will advance novel bio-inspired, biodegradable, self-burying seed carriers for aerial seeding. Autonomous seed carrier burial at optimal depths provides protection from herbivores and insulation against harsh environments, thereby enhancing germination rates and safeguarding seeds during critical early stages of growth. This research will expand forest restoration efforts, offering economic benefits and promoting ecological resilience. To advance forest regeneration practices through interdisciplinary efforts, this project: (1) addresses the challenge of low germination and seedling establishment rates in aerial seeding by developing self-burying seed carriers; (2) explores the rational design of seed carriers to accommodate the unique requirements of different tree species and environments, aiming to create a library of designs applicable across diverse ecosystems; (3) seeks to understand and optimize the self-burying process of seed carriers by establishing a new modeling framework to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed seeding techniques; and (4) emphasizes the importance of fostering biodiversity in forest ecosystems, resulting in new ecological field test protocols and an evaluation pipeline that is enabled by engineering and guided by forest ecology. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.