Plans to restore forests by cloning trees proposed in Russia 

The saplings have already been tested in the Voronezh region. Next in line are regions that have suffered from forest fires. 

According to the Federal Agency for Forestry, over 10 million hectares of Russian forests were struck by forest fires last year. The Siberian taiga is our planet’s lungs, which is why scientists from the National University of Science and Technology MISiS have been tasked with saving these forests.

The researchers created saplings with a high level of adaptability in open terrains. According to approximate evaluations, their adaptability is 10-28% more effective than that of regular trees. But the most interesting fact is how these saplings are actually created.

The plants are created in laboratory conditions in a procedure called micropropagation. Each plant cell represents the beginning of a new tree - this amazing feature of plants is at the core of this method.

This method makes it possible to multiply the tree population several times faster than when using regular saplings. Considering the extraordinary resistance of these saplings to infections, we obtain an effective method of replenishing the lost forest areas.