Under-canopy plant sensing
VoltreeAI measures bioelectrical signals of living plants with a continuous data platform to add local, plant-level observations to environmental monitoring and risk mitigation and assessment.
Xylem-to-soil potential, intact tree
An illustrative sound, not a field recording. Heartbeat and EKG are metaphors; the sensor measures electrical potential.
Where the measurement is taken
USFS weather stations are positioned in clearings for the purposes of satellite transmission, with only once-an-hour unidirectional GOES satellite transmissions. Voltree provided the USFS with the first under-the-canopy tree power network. VoltreeAI is adding to that network from a different vantage point by converting bioelectrical signals directly from trees under the canopy, in real time and on site.
Signal chain
Sensors translate bioelectrical signals continuously in the field, under the canopy, and proprietary AI-driven algorithms interpret them.
Schematic illustration: a plant sensor on the trunk of a tree is wired to a sensor node mounted on the trunk. The node sends readings by radio to a gateway, which forwards them to a data platform where the plant signal is compared with reference samples and local conditions.
A sensor at the living plant translates its bioelectrical signals into data, continuously, under the canopy and on site.
Low-power nodes store readings on site and forward them through a gateway to the VoltreeAI data platform.
Proprietary AI-driven algorithms interpret the plant signal together with reference samples and local conditions.
Potential value
Our proposed first operational audience. Local, continuous observations along power lines could add context to inspection and vegetation-management planning alongside the surveys and models already in use.
Decision it could inform: wildfire risk based on fuel moisture of the surrounding vegetation.
Fuel moisture from bioelectrical signals could support vegetation observation, prepositioning of resources and water conservation in agriculture.
Decision it could inform: prepositioning of wildfire resources, water conservation and increased yield through smart irrigation.
Under-the-canopy, real-time fuel moisture adds value for insurance risk mitigation, where actuarial assumptions have been permanently altered by climate change.
Decision it could inform: insurance liability risk mitigation and realistic premium adjustments for high-risk areas, backed by real-time data.
Applications
Utility corridorsBeachhead market: continuous plant data along power lines for wildfire risk and vegetation management.
Natural resource preservationUnder-canopy fuel moisture for wildfire prevention in forests and the wildland-urban interface.
Food sustainability & water conservationSmart irrigation driven by plant-level moisture data for permanent crops.
Insurance risk mitigationReal-time, under-canopy fuel moisture for WUI risk segmentation and policy pricing.Evidence
Every claim is mapped to a Technology Readiness Level. The core measurement is peer reviewed and proven under the canopy; the proprietary AI-driven interpretation is advancing toward commercial deployment.
Sustained 50-200 mV xylem-to-soil signal, peer reviewed
TRL 6
Under-canopy readings capture conditions that open-clearing weather stations miss
TRL 6
Under-canopy sensor network deployed with US federal agencies since 2009
TRL 6
Voltage change ahead of visible drought stress, shown in a controlled study
TRL 5
Signal tracks fuel moisture against established reference methods
TRL 5
Multi-season sensor stability in the field
TRL 5
Earlier warning than conventional monitoring
TRL 4
Maintenance-free multi-year operation
TRL 4
Field deployment, Boise 2009, company footage
Voltree delivered early under-canopy sensor deployments to the USDA Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, integrated with Vaisala weather stations at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. The underlying mechanism was established through sponsored research at MIT and published in PLoS ONE in 2008.
Historical deployments and collaborations. Named organisations are not current endorsements.
We are looking for utilities and vegetation managers to host a first pilot with reference sampling, and for research and data partners to evaluate the results with us.
