PROJECT O2 · MAGIC FOREST D.O.O.

From ash to forest.

Fast, precise and energy-efficient recovery of fire-damaged forest ecosystems.

01 — The situation

The state of forests after wildfires in Croatia

Croatia — especially its Mediterranean and sub-Mediterranean regions (Dalmatia, the islands and their hinterland) — is among the most fire-prone areas in Europe. The wildfire season keeps getting longer, and its intensity and frequency are rising due to climate change, which brings longer, hotter summers and increasingly frequent, severe droughts. Additional risk factors include the terrain configuration, karst, steep slopes, canyons and road-inaccessible islands, as well as an intense tourist season that coincides with the period when forest ecosystems are most vulnerable to fire.

After a fire the terrain is often unstable and dangerous for people. Eroded soil, charred and unstable trees and difficult access for heavy machinery mean that damage assessment and remediation are often delayed by months or years. During that time wind and rain strip away more of the fertile topsoil, and natural recovery (self-seeding) becomes ever harder or fails entirely, especially where fires recur in the same area. The key consequence of delayed recovery is a heightened risk that the burned area degrades permanently into rocky barren land instead of a restored forest ecosystem.

02 — The solution

The solution: Project O2

Project O2 brings years of successful experience in reforesting degraded and devastated terrain. By combining expert terrain analysis with drone technology, custom-made SeedBombs (seed balls) are produced for each area, so reforestation begins quickly and precisely, exactly where it is needed most.

Project O2 has developed a drone reforestation technology that unites a scientific approach (analysis of soil, climate and native vegetation), engineering (drones and seed capsules designed for the local terrain) and hands-on experience across different types of degradation, including burn sites, karst, abandoned farmland and eroded soils.

The approach also includes climate-smart forest design — a spatial planting layout adapted to the terrain, microclimate and re-fire risk, in cooperation with public institutions, scientific organisations and corporate partners.

Implementation phases — choose a phase

Visual assessment and drone surveying

Enable high-resolution analysis of the burned area, micro-relief mapping, identification of vegetation before and after, assessment of soil damage and the production of detailed LiDAR and AI maps.

Satellite data

Provide an overview of the fire-affected area, burn intensity (NDVI, NBR, dNBR), vegetation type, topographic features (slope, exposure and elevation), and an assessment of erosion risk and surface runoff.

SeedBombs

Contain seeds of species adapted to local climate and soil conditions, in line with the principles of climate-adapted forest restoration. A protective, nutrient-rich coating retains moisture, shields the seeds from adverse conditions and improves germination success.

Seeding drones

Enable precise distribution of SeedBombs across large, hard-to-reach areas. By integrating satellite data, LiDAR and AI, flight routes, seeding density and the best recovery locations are optimised.

248.000+trees planted

560.000+ m²of land reforested

39+partners

6countries

03 — Speed

Why speed makes the difference

Drone reforestation can begin just a few months after a fire, instead of the usual years of waiting, so the forest resumes its key functions sooner: moderating temperature extremes, returning to active carbon storage and stabilising the soil. Compared with conventional methods, the need for heavy machinery, transport and large field crews is greatly reduced, lowering fossil-fuel use, greenhouse-gas emissions and the carbon footprint of the whole recovery. Climate-smart forest design also slows the spread of future fires and increases resilience to heatwaves and prolonged droughts.

04 — Funding

Collaboration and funding models

EU funds & public programmes

Project O2 provides expert support in preparing and delivering projects funded through national and European programmes aimed at ecosystem restoration, climate-change adaptation, nature protection and increasing resilience to natural disasters.

Corporate ESG programmes

A growing number of companies invest in nature-restoration projects as part of their sustainability and corporate social responsibility strategies. Project O2 connects cities, municipalities and other public institutions with corporate partners who want to fund the recovery of burned areas through their ESG programmes and achieve a measurable positive environmental impact.

Self-funded projects

For smaller-scale projects, or where fast delivery is needed, recovery can also be financed from the own funds of cities, municipalities, public institutions, private companies or other investors. Project O2 prepares a solution tailored to the project’s goals, the available budget and the specifics of the location.

Project O2 provides support throughout the entire process — from terrain assessment and recovery planning to preparing project documentation, carrying out the reforestation and long-term monitoring of results.

Less energy. Faster recovery. Healthier ecosystems.

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