Reforestation

Reforestation is an important tool to maintain a sustainable forestry and counteract climate change. Not only can more planted trees bind carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and thus reduce global warming [5], but it is also crucial for the preservation of biodiversity and soil fertility maintenance [15]. The cultivation of high-quality seedlings is an important part of the commercial forestry which enables large-scale reforestations [12], since higher quality plants yields greater growth and improves chances of survival after outplanting [5]. One increasingly common way to influence the quality of the seedlings in the plant nurseries is by using optimized LED lighting during the early stages of development [5] [7] [8].

Early cultivation of conifers, such as pine and spruce, is successfully performed under a full LED spectrum with a well-balanced red:blue ratio that promotes seedlings of compact build with high root-to-shoot ratio [12]. There are numerous advantages of using LED lighting instead of other light sources, such as HPS or fluorescent light. In addition to the ability to control spectrum design for optimized seedling growth, LED lights have a longer lifespan, require less maintenance and provides opportunities for major energy savings [7] [9]. The use of LED spectra in plant nurseries can also reduce production time by stimulating a faster seedling development [8].