Can AI Save the Forests?

We are in the midst of a perfect wildfire storm.  Warm temperatures, an ongoing drought, reduced snowpack, and reduced rainfall are contributing to a tinderbox potential for wildfires for this summer of 2022.  In 2021, California recorded 8,835 wildfires burning 2.5 million acres. The last seven years have seen a geometric increase in the frequency and destruction caused by wildfires. On November 8, 2018, the most deadly wildfire in California’s recorded history started in the area of Paradise, California.  The town had a population of 27,000 and was virtually wiped off the face of the earth in 8 hours. Recent developments using AI to detect early wildfires along with a coordinated State and local government fire prevention agency is starting to turn the tide.