Life sometimes makes strange couples. The Montreal office of the Japanese marketing agency Dentsu and the Vancouver clothing manufacturer Tentree are now forming one, around the hashtag #FollowingWildfire, which they hope to popularize to fight and prevent forest fires across Canada.
For several weeks, Tentree customers — and any other outdoor enthusiast who wishes — can post photos of their forest adventures on social media, and assign them the hashtag #FollowingWildfire to have them analyzed by the forest fire detection algorithm created in partnership with Dentsu.
Obviously, the algorithm does more than detect the presence of flames on the image, which would be apparent to any eye, whether human, computer, or otherwise. “Our computer vision technology can detect the warning signs of wildfires super-precisely and better than the human eye,” explains Duty the director of strategy at Dentsu, in Montreal, Rafik Belmesk.
Action reaction
“We recently discovered that very few means are deployed to detect the risk of forest fires in places often near communities, where the majority of enthusiasts enjoy the outdoors. These are places where amateurs take photos which they then publish on social networks. We apply an AI which, if it spots the warning signs of a fire out of control, allows us to alert the local authorities. »
Before calling the firefighters, a moderator makes sure to eliminate “false positives”, cases where the algorithm detects the start of a forest fire which in reality is something completely different – a well-demarcated campfire, a reflection of the sun, etc.
The algorithm is brand new and has been tested in recent weeks. “In theory, it works. We noted 29 detections during our tests, but we cannot say with certainty that we prevented the start of a forest fire. If it happens, even just once, it will be mission accomplished,” says Rafik Belmesk.
Already, raising awareness among lovers of forest getaways about the risk of causing fires is a small victory for both companies. Human activity and negligence cause about 40% of Canada’s wildfires, according to official statistics.
People who share their photos and add the Dentsu and Tentree hashtag will help strengthen their technology, which they hope could become more and more useful over time. “AI is always learning and improving,” says Tentree retail marketing manager Mimi DeSerres. “Maybe a simple photo can make a difference soon.” »
Reforestation
Tentree has also promised to plant 20,000 trees to regenerate portions of the Canadian forest that have been ravaged by forest fires in recent years. “We invite people who are affected by this to come and buy trees for reforestation on our site,” says M.me DeSerres.
Tentree is an outdoor clothing brand that, as its name suggests, plants ten trees for every piece of clothing it sells. Since its founding in Saskatchewan by three friends in 2011, the company, now based in Vancouver, has planted more than 50 million trees.
Canadian outdoor enthusiasts turned entrepreneurs had to create a second company, Veritree, to guarantee traceability behind each of their planted trees. After all, there is a lot of bluff in this market for carbon compensation by planting trees elsewhere in the world… In 2024, its customers can easily follow the evolution of the ten trees promised in exchange for their purchase of a Tentree garment thanks to a QR code printed on the label, which simply scans using a smartphone camera.
“It’s important to us,” says Mimi DeSerres. This is a way for us to call out to the population about the growing problem of forest fires. This is a global issue that we can feel powerless about. For us, who were originally a tree planting company, this is an important message to send, that we must try to have a positive impact. »