Defending the Forests of the Future
Defending the Forests of the Future
Defending the Forests of the Future
Ponderosa’s Sentinel Network uses autonomous thermal-AI drones to detect and confirm wildfires in their earliest moments
By combining real-time detection with automated response systems, we’re building the next line of defense for communities, forests, and the future of the West.
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What We Do
Wildfires are natural. The peak-season infernos we face today are not.
A warmer climate, decades of suppression, and growing development have turned routine burns into runaway disasters. We used to treat fires like late-stage problems — responding after they’re already massive. That model fails communities and destroys irreplaceable forests.
Every fire begins with a spark. Detecting that spark and getting response assets there in minutes changes the outcome.
We're building Sentinel to do exactly that: a hardened, networked detection platform — autonomous drones, edge AI, and secure ops — engineered to detect ignitions, validate them, and hand off verified alerts to the teams who can act.
Wildfires are natural. The peak-season infernos we face today are not.
A warmer climate, decades of suppression, and growing development have turned routine burns into runaway disasters. We used to treat fires like late-stage problems — responding after they’re already massive. That model fails communities and destroys irreplaceable forests.
Every fire begins with a spark. Detecting that spark and getting response assets there in minutes changes the outcome.
We're building Sentinel to do exactly that: a hardened, networked detection platform — autonomous drones, edge AI, and secure ops — engineered to detect ignitions, validate them, and hand off verified alerts to the teams who can act.
Wildfires are natural. The peak-season infernos we face today are not.
A warmer climate, decades of suppression, and growing development have turned routine burns into runaway disasters. We used to treat fires like late-stage problems — responding after they’re already massive. That model fails communities and destroys irreplaceable forests.
Every fire begins with a spark. Detecting that spark and getting response assets there in minutes changes the outcome.
We're building Sentinel to do exactly that: a hardened, networked detection platform — autonomous drones, edge AI, and secure ops — engineered to detect ignitions, validate them, and hand off verified alerts to the teams who can act.
SENTINEL PLATFORM
Sentinel is a turn-key stack of remote bases, autonomous aircraft, edge AI, and secure command integrations that agencies can procure, install, and operate at scale. Built from commodity, field-hardened hardware and battle-tested software, Sentinel is designed for fast rollout, low ops overhead, and immediate operational impact.
Most importantly, Sentinel is built for scale.
SENTINEL PLATFORM
Sentinel is a turn-key stack of remote bases, autonomous aircraft, edge AI, and secure command integrations that agencies can procure, install, and operate at scale. Built from commodity, field-hardened hardware and battle-tested software, Sentinel is designed for fast rollout, low ops overhead, and immediate operational impact.
Most importantly, Sentinel is built for scale.
SENTINEL PLATFORM
Sentinel is a turn-key stack of remote bases, autonomous aircraft, edge AI, and secure command integrations that agencies can procure, install, and operate at scale. Built from commodity, field-hardened hardware and battle-tested software, Sentinel is designed for fast rollout, low ops overhead, and immediate operational impact.
Most importantly, Sentinel is built for scale.
10%
10%
The portion of old-growth forests projected to survive the next decade
40+
40+
The average delay in minutes from ignition to dispatch
80%
80%
The share of fires still discovered by civilians, not sensors
100B+
100B+
The annual economic damage from U.S. wildfires
Who We ARE
We’re a growing team of technologists based in Central Oregon — a region that’s seen firsthand what peak-season, unmanaged wildfires can do.
We’ve watched forests we grew up exploring turn to ash. We’ve seen friends lose their homes, their businesses, and their sense of security.
Insurance is vanishing, recovery costs are climbing, and every summer the line between risk and catastrophe grows thinner.
We finally decided enough was enough. We weren't going to let the forests we love burn to the ground.
We’re a growing team of technologists based in Central Oregon — a region that’s seen firsthand what peak-season, unmanaged wildfires can do.
We’ve watched forests we grew up exploring turn to ash. We’ve seen friends lose their homes, their businesses, and their sense of security.
Insurance is vanishing, recovery costs are climbing, and every summer the line between risk and catastrophe grows thinner.
We finally decided enough was enough. We weren't going to let the forests we love burn to the ground.
We’re a growing team of technologists based in Central Oregon — a region that’s seen firsthand what peak-season, unmanaged wildfires can do.
We’ve watched forests we grew up exploring turn to ash. We’ve seen friends lose their homes, their businesses, and their sense of security.
Insurance is vanishing, recovery costs are climbing, and every summer the line between risk and catastrophe grows thinner.
We finally decided enough was enough. We weren't going to let the forests we love burn to the ground.
Bend, Oregon
Bend, Oregon
Bend, Oregon
Contact
Protect your communities
Defend your forests.
Every ignition we prevent is a forest, a home, a future saved.
The tools to stop wildfires early exist today—we just have to deploy them.
Contact
Protect your communities
Defend your forests.
Every ignition we prevent is a forest, a home, a future saved.
The tools to stop wildfires early exist today—we just have to deploy them.
Contact
Protect your communities
Defend your forests.
Every ignition we prevent is a forest, a home, a future saved.
The tools to stop wildfires early exist today—we just have to deploy them.