“If the outdoors burns, there’ll be no need for outdoors retailers.”

In the face of escalating wildfires that devastated communities in 2023 and ominous 2024 forecasts, tentree, a sustainable clothing company known for its commitment to environmental restoration, saw an urgent need for collective action. Since its inception, tentree has positioned itself as a tree planting company, that happens to sell outdoor apparel, and has been planting trees in wildfire-affected areas in Canada since 2015.

But the escalating situation called for an approach that would help with prevention as well as restoration, further building tentree’s sustainability credentials by helping to protect nature - the most valuable resource for outdoor lovers.

However, wildfires and their impact are such a daunting issue that most Canadians don’t see themselves as part of the solution. It’s the government’s problem. Or tech companies’ with their monitoring drones, data and satellites. There’s certainly not much regular Canadians can do to help.

To rally Canadians behind its mission, tentree had to defeat this defeated attitude first. The solution came by looking at the problem from a new lens and enabled a unique and ground-breaking opportunity for impact.

Going after a monitoring blindspot.

The insight driving our strategy was profound yet simple: more than 55% of wildfires are sparked by human activity in areas where traditional monitoring falls short, as satellites and drones tend to focus on the most remote communities, creating a monitoring blind spot of sorts.

Execution

In an age where everyone is a potential data point, tentree saw an opportunity to leverage social media as a real-time surveillance network. Outdoor lovers love posting pictures, so why not turn every Canadian into a sentinel, watching over our forests.

The technological breakthrough: thanks to advances in AI and computer vision, it is now possible to train an algorithm to detect early signs of wildfire that the human eye might miss. 

Our strategy was to focus on images taken in wildfire monitoring blind spots and use computer vision technology to automate the detection of early signs.  This approach was designed to democratize wildfire detection, allowing everyday Canadians to play an active role in safeguarding our natural heritage​.

Innovation

"Following Wildfire" is an AI-powered tool that scans social media images for early signs of wildfire.

Executing on the project’s vision required a coalition of creative and technological forces.

Technology: At the heart of this initiative is our proprietary algorithm, designed to scan major social media platforms for images tagged with #FollowingWildfire and other popular outdoors hashtags and locations. It detects signs of wildfires, such as smoke or flames, particularly in images from areas where human activity is prevalent, then integrates this data with regional weather and vegetation conditions to assess the risk and potential spread of fires. Trained specialists review these detections, ensuring accuracy and reliability before alerting the local fire authorities.

Digital User Experience: Our priority was a seamless user experience. Users simply tag their photos as they normally would, and our system does the rest. The dedicated Following Wildfire website offers an immersive, sound-guided journey, providing vital information about wildfire impacts and prevention. It also features a 3D map of potential wildfire risks, offering a dynamic and engaging user interface, fostering a deeper connection to the cause.

Supporting Channels: To amplify our reach, we leveraged PR as well as traditional and digital media channels and influencers, encouraging Canadians to participate and share their photos while they’re in the outdoors, by using the #FollowingWildfire hashtag.

Results

By tapping into the collective vigilance of Canadians, tentree has created a scalable, globally applicable solution that can detect wildfires that traditional technologies might miss. The tool even received public endorsement from Tristan Landry - Regional Director of Canada’s Environment Protection and Climate Change agency.

Following Wildfire goes beyond creating awareness by empowering Canadians to take tangible action. It democratizes wildfire detection and fosters a community-driven approach to environmental protection.

A week after its official launch Following Wildfire captured public attention from mainstream outlets like Global News, CTV, NewsTalk, Le Devoir, Le Soleil de Québec and Yahoo Finance amongst others, totalling more than 8M earned media impressions.

More importantly, to date more than 24,000 outdoor photos have been analyzed, and over 200 threats detected, with immediate risks escalated to relevant authorities.

In a world where the climate crisis demands innovative solutions, tentree’s Following Wildfire stands as a testament to what’s possible when technology, community, and a steadfast commitment to the planet converge. As the detection algorithm gets better with each analyzed picture, the platform has ignited a movement where every Canadian is a guardian of nature, ensuring a safer, greener future for all.