Brandenburg Startup Aims to Prevent Forest Fires with New Technology

In 2022, over 4,300 hectares of forests in Germany fell victim to wildfires, resulting in a staggering €600 million in damages. The German Weather Service calculates the Forest Fire Danger Index using meteorological data and models. However, this index doesn't account for the moisture level of the forest organic litter, a crucial factor in assessing the risk of forest fires. This oversight often leads to an underestimation of the forest fire danger, causing preventive measures for forest protection to be implemented too late. Recognizing this gap, Dryad has made it the focus of their research.

Dryad aims to develop a novel sensor-based system to measure moisture in organic forest floor litter. This innovation promises to provide more accurate and precise modeling of forest fire risks in the future. Moisture measurement in the forest will be achieved using affordable, solar-powered, AI-assisted, and LoRaWAN-enabled ultrasonic or radar sensors. The data collected will be used to create precise and high-resolution forest fire indices for various forest areas and regions.

Read more: https://www.dryad.net/post/brandenburg-startup-aims-to-prevent-forest-fires-with-new-technology