The Vital Need for Early Wildfire Detection: Solving with Nature Tech
As wildfires become more frequent and severe worldwide due to the impacts of climate change, the need for proactive fire prevention strategies has never been greater. Hawaiʻi’s native forests, home to unique ecosystems and wildlife, are no exception and face an increasing threat from wildfires, particularly in dry regions.
At Terraformation, we work to solve the biggest bottlenecks to native restoration and are seeking a solution that mitigates wildfires and enhances safety at our project sites. With our global headquarters located in Hawaiʻi, and our team’s depth of forestry knowledge and technological expertise, we are in a unique position to test new sensor technology with the potential to scale to other wildfire-prone areas statewide and beyond.
Trailblazing Environmental Monitoring Technology in Hawaiʻi
Terraformation Hawaiʻi’s Pacific Flight at Kaupalaoa site spans 45 acres in Kohala, a particularly high-risk area due to its location in a historically dry and windy location on Hawaiʻi Island. At this site, Terraformation Hawaiʻi is restoring a dryland forest, removing invasive buffelgrass and kiawe, and planting over 22 native species to date.
This arid landscape, with under 10 inches of rainfall annually, is an ideal site for a proof-of-concept test of early wildfire detection technology. Terraformation chose to pilot Dryad’s Silvanet technology, an advanced early wildfire detection system, to help reduce wildfire risks to these distinctive and biodiverse ecosystems.
This project brings one of the first environmental monitoring systems of its caliber to Hawaiʻi. Through the installation process, we gained valuable insights on how to harness this technology and identified potential use cases to mitigate the spread of wildfires in other at-risk areas by leveraging the early alerts and detection system.
How a Wildfire Detection System Works
The Dryad Silvanet solution is an AI-powered monitoring tool that detects wildfires early and provides critical data on air quality, humidity, and temperature. At Pacific Flight, this gives us an even better perspective on the overall site and an additional way to monitor subtle climate changes that, over time, can impact forest health and wildfire risks.
The Dryad system is equipped with Silvanet Wildfire Sensors designed to monitor humidity levels, changes in temperature, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the air. Each sensor is solar-powered and calibrated to detect specific atmospheric changes. Should the sensors detect VOCs, an immediate alert is sent to our onsite forestry team, enabling rapid response and onsite verification.
Incorporating Wildfire Sensors into Forest Management
Our team installed 17 sensors and two gateways across Pacific Flight at Kaupalaoa. Since Pacific Flight has low vegetation, we installed each sensor on a post mounted in the ground for optimized monitoring.
The sensor data were then integrated into our system that collects real-time and historical operational data. Syncing Dryad sensor data with our current system offers a more detailed view of our entire site in a central dashboard with the benefit of a backup alert system. This swift notification system empowers us to act quickly, reducing the risk of fires spreading. In total, these low-cost sensors took only three weeks to plan, install, and calibrate.
After the first week of calibration, the sensors detected a spike in VOCs and issued an immediate alert to our team. Our onsite personnel deployed to the sensor site and observed that hot tar and road construction near the fence line were the cause. This proved to be a compelling initial test for the Dryad sensors, as the team was able to interpret the source almost immediately. Through the alert system, our forestry team can act swiftly to verify alerts onsite, then quickly notify local authorities and emergency responders.
A key advantage of this type of system is that it is well suited for continuous monitoring. Other wildfire response systems are more expensive and less practical: camera systems are expensive and complex, while drones with limited battery power cannot realistically be used 24/7 across expansive forests.
Why Early Wildfire Detection Matters for Hawaiʻi and the World
Early wildfire detection isn’t just about safeguarding land. It’s essential to preserving Hawaiʻi’s one-of-a-kind biodiversity, which faces constant threats from wildfire, invasive species, and human activity. These islands, which harbor roughly eight of the world’s 13 climate zones, are home to over 10,000 species found nowhere else on earth.
By preventing fires from spreading across these native ecosystems, we ensure that habitats remain intact and mature, supporting the island’s natural heritage and contributing to a healthy, carbon-storing landscape.
According to a 2024 study in Science, global carbon emissions from wildfires have increased by 60% since 2001. With wildfire threats on the rise globally, lessons learned through implementing wildfire detection technology in Hawaiʻi provide insights that can be applied elsewhere.
Through our testing of forest management tools and technologies, we hope to set a powerful example of how technology and proactive collaboration can prevent devastation and promise a future where native species are protected from seed to forest.
