A tree planting robot is an autonomous or semi-autonomous machine designed to mechanise the labour-intensive process of planting tree seedlings at scale. These robots typically integrate a combination of ground-based mobility platforms — such as tracked or wheeled chassis capable of traversing rough terrain — with end-effectors that can excavate a small hole, insert a seedling from an onboard magazine or hopper, firm the soil, and optionally apply water or fertiliser before moving to the next planting position. Navigation is generally handled through GNSS positioning, onboard inertial measurement units, and LiDAR or stereo-camera obstacle avoidance, allowing the machine to follow pre-planned planting grids with centimetre-level accuracy. Companies such as Milrem Robotics, Flash Forest, and Furrrow (formerly Greenfield Robotics adjacent projects) have developed or demonstrated prototype systems, while research institutions have published work on manipulator-equipped rovers capable of handling bare-root and plug seedlings. In a forestry context, tree planting robots address well-documented labour shortages in reforestation campaigns, reduce per-seedling costs over time, and ensure consistent planting depth and spacing that improves early survival rates. They are particularly relevant to large-scale plantation forestry and post-disturbance reforestation, where thousands to millions of seedlings must be planted within narrow seasonal windows. In Australia, reforestation efforts following the 2019–20 Black Summer bushfires, ongoing carbon-credit plantation schemes, and state-managed hardwood and softwood estate replanting programs represent compelling use-cases. Australian terrain — including steep slopes, rocky soils, and dispersed remote sites — motivates the development of lighter, more agile platforms than those designed for the flat agricultural fields common in North American or European trials. Ongoing challenges include seedling handling delicacy, variable soil conditions, and the high upfront capital cost of robotic systems compared to manual planting crews.