WHY WE SHOULD BE WORRIED BY WETTER WINTERS
By Carsten Brinkschulte, CEO, Dryad Networks
The 10 most recent years are the warmest years on record, and our winters are getting wetter. Persistent wetness weakens trees, making them more vulnerable to diseases and storm damage. In forests and other natural landscapes, this can lead to habitat loss and increased risk of erosion. But wetter winters pose another threat: an increase in wildfires.
There is a common misperception that a wet winter would help reduce the number and ferocity of spring and summer wildfires, but it’s generally quite the opposite. A wet winter nourishes the grass and other ground vegetation that is the primary fuel for wildfires. When a dry spring and summer and high winds follow a wet winter, it’s usually a recipe for a difficult fire season. The lush grass and other ground vegetation that grew so well as a result of the wet winter dries during the spring and summer – making the perfect fuel for a fire.
Climate change is creating more weather extremes. Now, we have more rain in the winter, but substantially less in the summer, which makes the wildfire season more aggressive. Also, because more
people are living in the wildland urban interface, more homes and lives are potentially—and actually— exposed to the threat of wildfires.
In some countries, wildfires have become an unavoidable reality, with seasonal outbreaks posing a consistent threat. The UK hasn’t reached that level of wildfire risk, but it is still important to take proactive measures to prevent, mitigate, and control fires in our forests and moorlands. As climate patterns shift, the likelihood of wildfires becoming more frequent in the UK increases, making it essential to address this emerging risk now to protect our natural landscapes and communities.
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Embracing early prevention and effective containment strategies will help us prepare for and manage
what may soon be an inevitable challenge.
There are many technologies and approaches now available and in development that can help reduce the
number, severity and impact of wildfires. For example, small, solar-powered sensors are increasingly
used to provide ultra-early fire detection. The sensors (developed by Dryad Networks), mounted on trees
and part of a network (called Silvanet), can detect heat, smoke, gas and flames when fires are at an early
stage, and alert responders before a fire is too large to easily contain.
Sensors mounted on trees can be paired with satellites, which of course provide a high-level view of a
fire and the way it is spreading to best inform strategy for controlled burns and evacuations. Controlled
burns of ground fuel can help stop wildfires from spreading or starting; when a fire reaches burned fuel
such as burned grass, it usually can’t spread further on the ground and can only spread when burning
fuel is carried by winds.
There are more technologies being developed, partially inspired by the XPrize Wildfire competition,
which challenges organisations to develop solutions that detect and suppress potentially destructive
wildfires within 10 minutes. Such solutions include drone fleets that can fly below the tree canopy to extinguish fires on the ground. Sensors provide the ultra-early detection that then can alert firefighters to
dispatch drones to extinguish a fire much faster than it would take for firefighters to arrive at the scene,
by which time a fire could already have grown too large to be easily and quickly contained.
The UK has a window of opportunity to integrate advanced wildfire detection and containment
technologies before wildfire risks intensify. Deploying ultra-early detection systems can prevent small
fires from escalating into major threats. With proactive technology and strategic management, the UK
can enhance wildfire resilience, protecting its forests, moorlands, and communities for the future.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carsten Brinkschulte is CEO and co-founder of Dryad Networks. Dryad provides ultra-early detection of
wildfires as well as health and growth-monitoring of forests using solar-powered gas sensors in a large-
scale IoT sensor network. Dryad aims to reduce unwanted wildfires, which cause up to 20% of global
CO2 emissions and have a devastating impact on biodiversity. By 2030, Dryad aims to prevent
2.8million hectares of forest from burning, preventing 1.1bn tonnes of CO2 emissions, saving 166m
animals, and preventing $21bn in economic loss.
Website: https://www.dryad.net/
Social:
https://www.facebook.com/dryadnetworks/
https://twitter.com/DryadNetworks
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dryadnetworks/
Forest Machine Magazine is written and edited by a forest professional with over 40 years hands on experience. We are dedicated to keeping you informed with all the latest news, views and reviews from our industry.
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