Growvera Dryline Fuels Project
Project Title: Growvera Dryline Fuels Project
Project Sponsors: Salt River Project
Principal Investigator: Salli Dymond
Primary Collaborators: Barry Johnson (SRP), Brian Henderson (Growvera), Asher May (Growvera)
Graduate Students: Anastasiya Jonas
Project Location: Tonto National Forest, USA
Funding Total: $67,000
Project Summary: Recent studies in various vegetation types have uncovered strong linkages between soil moisture and fuel moisture, with newer studies suggesting that soil moisture is a better indicator of potential fire ignition, severity, and spread than traditional weather-based metrics. Soil moisture sensors are now more robust, affordable, reliable, and able to use radio and telemetry communications from remote settings, making them a feasible option for monitoring fire potential across the U.S. Additionally, the startup company Growvera has developed sensors to remotely monitor live and dead (10-, 100-, and 1,000-hr) fuel moisture. Coupling Growvera’s live and dead fuel moisture sensors with soil moisture sensors may greatly improve drought and fire monitoring in remote regions. This pilot project is a partnership between SRP, Growvera, the US Forest Service, and NAU School of Forestry Associate Professor Dr. Salli Dymond and Master’s student Anastasiya Jonas. NAU’s role in this project is to (1) install soil moisture sensors at six study sites and provide scientific expertise on study design and analytical approaches; (2) methodically evaluate Growvera’s sensors via calibration with field data; and (3) explore the relationship between climate, soil moisture, and fuel moisture across six sites in Arizona.
Press:
KJZZ Phoenix, “SRP and NAU turn to farming technology to understand Arizona’s growing wildfire risk”, Jul 9, 2026
KTAR Radio, “SRP, NAU launch pilot program to improve wildfire risk monitoring in Arizona”, Jun 25, 2026
ABC 15 Arizona, “New sensors are watching Arizona’s wildfire threat in real time”, Jun 26, 2026
Fox 10 Phoenix, “New soil sensors launched in Tonto National Forest for flooding, wildfire protection”, Jun 24, 2026
Project Sponsors: Salt River Project
Principal Investigator: Salli Dymond
Primary Collaborators: Barry Johnson (SRP), Brian Henderson (Growvera), Asher May (Growvera)
Graduate Students: Anastasiya Jonas
Project Location: Tonto National Forest, USA
Funding Total: $67,000
Project Summary: Recent studies in various vegetation types have uncovered strong linkages between soil moisture and fuel moisture, with newer studies suggesting that soil moisture is a better indicator of potential fire ignition, severity, and spread than traditional weather-based metrics. Soil moisture sensors are now more robust, affordable, reliable, and able to use radio and telemetry communications from remote settings, making them a feasible option for monitoring fire potential across the U.S. Additionally, the startup company Growvera has developed sensors to remotely monitor live and dead (10-, 100-, and 1,000-hr) fuel moisture. Coupling Growvera’s live and dead fuel moisture sensors with soil moisture sensors may greatly improve drought and fire monitoring in remote regions. This pilot project is a partnership between SRP, Growvera, the US Forest Service, and NAU School of Forestry Associate Professor Dr. Salli Dymond and Master’s student Anastasiya Jonas. NAU’s role in this project is to (1) install soil moisture sensors at six study sites and provide scientific expertise on study design and analytical approaches; (2) methodically evaluate Growvera’s sensors via calibration with field data; and (3) explore the relationship between climate, soil moisture, and fuel moisture across six sites in Arizona.
Press:
KJZZ Phoenix, “SRP and NAU turn to farming technology to understand Arizona’s growing wildfire risk”, Jul 9, 2026
KTAR Radio, “SRP, NAU launch pilot program to improve wildfire risk monitoring in Arizona”, Jun 25, 2026
ABC 15 Arizona, “New sensors are watching Arizona’s wildfire threat in real time”, Jun 26, 2026
Fox 10 Phoenix, “New soil sensors launched in Tonto National Forest for flooding, wildfire protection”, Jun 24, 2026
