Weather intelligence for forestry & nature
Forest drought and wildfire risk build slowly across weeks â in the leaf litter, in the root zone, in the soil. MeteoA measures at every layer so managers can act long before conditions become critical.
Forest drought stress is a slow, cumulative process that becomes visible in the canopy only after weeks of water deficit have already weakened root systems and made trees vulnerable to bark beetle attack, pathogen infection, and wind throw. By the time leaves are yellowing or crown dieback is visible, the critical window for intervention has passed.
MeteoA deploys a layered soil moisture monitoring system calibrated for forest conditions. Capacitance probes at 30 cm capture root-zone moisture â the primary driver of tree water stress. Probes at 100 cm track deeper soil water reserves that determine whether drought will persist across a dry season. A leaf litter moisture sensor at the surface measures the dryness of the decomposing organic layer â the first indicator of drought stress and a key input to fire risk.
These measurements, combined with local air temperature, humidity, and evapotranspiration calculations from a co-located weather station, feed a continuous drought index for your forest parcels. Managers receive alerts when moisture levels fall below species-specific stress thresholds, giving time to prioritise high-risk areas for monitoring, targeted irrigation where feasible, or preparation for emergency response.
Wildfire ignition and spread are determined by three factors acting together: the dryness and continuity of fuel, the temperature and humidity of the air above it, and the wind speed that supplies oxygen and carries embers. None of these can be reliably inferred from a regional station â they must be measured locally and combined.
MeteoA's forest weather stations measure all necessary fire weather inputs: air temperature and humidity at canopy height, wind speed and direction, solar radiation, and precipitation. These are combined with litter moisture readings from the surface sensor to compute the Van Wagner Fine Fuel Moisture Content and the Canadian Fire Weather Index system â the standard methods used by forestry agencies across Europe and North America.
LoEco delivers a real-time fire risk dashboard updated every 10 minutes, with automated alert escalation when the Fire Weather Index or Fine Fuel Moisture Code reach configurable thresholds. Alerts reach forest wardens, operational teams, and regional fire services with the lead time needed to pre-position resources, restrict access, and coordinate with authorities.
Each measurement layer captures a different part of the drought and fire system â from the forest floor to the air above the canopy.
Measures the gravimetric or dielectric moisture content of the decomposing organic layer at the forest floor â the primary fine fuel for ground fire ignition. The fastest-responding moisture indicator in the system, it reacts within hours to rainfall or drying wind.
Surface · fine fuelCapacitance soil moisture sensor at 30 cm depth â the critical zone for tree root water uptake in most Northern European forest soils. Declining moisture at this depth directly signals tree drought stress before above-ground symptoms appear.
Root zone · stressDeep capacitance probe tracking subsoil water reserves. Sandy and loamy forest soils lose deep water slowly â the 100 cm reading indicates whether drought is seasonal or whether the forest is entering a prolonged multi-week deficit with limited recovery potential.
Deep reserve · persistenceAir temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, solar radiation, and precipitation measured at a representative location within or at the edge of the forest parcel. Provides the meteorological inputs for ET calculation, fire weather indices, and drought modelling.
Full met · canopy heightAll sensors transmit via LoRaWAN â long-range, low-power radio requiring no mains power and no SIM card. Battery-operated nodes run for multiple years without servicing, making deep-forest deployment practical and cost-effective even in remote parcels.
No mains · no SIMAll data feeds into the LoEco platform â visualised as time series, moisture profiles, and fire risk dashboards. Configurable thresholds trigger automated alerts to forest managers, wardens, and fire services when conditions approach critical levels.
Dashboard · alertsA four-step pipeline from instrument deployment to early warning.
We select sensor locations to represent your forest parcels â accounting for soil type, tree species, aspect, and proximity to access routes or high-risk areas such as recreation trails and road edges.
All sensors install without mains power or network cabling. LoRaWAN nodes operate for years on primary batteries â practical for remote locations deep within forest blocks where power infrastructure is absent.
Drought indices, Fine Fuel Moisture Content, and Canadian Fire Weather Index components are recalculated every 10 minutes from the measured inputs â giving a continuously updated risk picture, not a once-daily morning estimate.
Automated threshold alerts reach wardens and fire services before conditions become critical. Historical data supports post-event analysis, insurance documentation, and multi-year climate trend assessment for forest management planning.
Tell us about your forest parcels, soil conditions, and the decisions you need to make. We'll design a sensor network, propose alert thresholds, and deliver a dashboard tailored to your management needs.
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