up:: Climate adaptation
According to Voyager VC, here are a list of specific opportunities for technology ventures for forest fires (source):
Preventing fires
(see Preventing and mitigating wildfires)
- Better detection of dry vegetation and drought conditions, and better prediction of high winds and fire storms. Numerous satellite imagery and analytics providers play a role here, as does better weather forecasting.
- Better detection of combustible material. This includes trees and vegetation likely to burn (diseased and dead trees), infrastructure prone to sparking fires (such as aboveground utility wires), and wooden structures and structures in close proximity to vegetation. Example companies include Overstory and AI-Dash.
- Vegetation management itself, via an integrated detection of risky assets and infrastructure
- Companies creating the foundation of granular data and financial incentive alignment for physical change. These include measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) companies, risk prediction companies, and insurance / reinsurance companies. Examples of startups include Kettle and Vibrant Planet.
- More accurate carbon sensing and management to enable financial incentive alignment for fire prevention among landowners, forestry managers and regulators.
- Regular vegetation clearing along with bioenergy with carbon capture and storage power generation. This is a way of valorizing forestry waste by producing carbon-negative electricity. Arbor Energy is tackling this problem – and solution.
Mitigating fires’ spread
(see Preventing and mitigating wildfires)
- Vegetation management, which can both prevent fire and create a co-benefit economic stream from forest products.
- Fire detection once breakouts have occurred. Example companies include Pano and Dryad, which provide value through containing risks as quickly as possible once they emerge.
- Drones and other approaches for fire suppression. Rain, a wildfire intelligence system for autonomous aircraft, is one example.
Addressing fire damages
- Hardened infrastructure that can better withstand fire. Firemaps, a home hardening service, is one example.
- Better and more responsive reinsurance. This includes better maps and spatial understanding of fire risk, as well as faster and more accurate payment for loss and damage after fires have occurred.
- More thoughtful planning and construction and permitting for new builds. This is primarily a policy response, and it is particularly important in the wildland-urban interface.
- Better air quality sensors and better indoor air pollution control systems for populations subjected to wildfire smoke. The latter will have benefits even when fire is not an air quality risk.|