Vibrant Planet

Reshaping Forest Management: Kei's Collaboration with Vibrant Planet on Land Tender

Introduction

In the face of escalating climate change and increasingly devastating wildfires, the need for innovative approaches to forest management has never been more critical. This case study delves into Kei's multi-year collaboration with Vibrant Planet to develop Land Tender, a groundbreaking platform that is revolutionizing how we approach ecological resilience and wildfire mitigation.

The Challenge: A Burning Crisis

California's forests were at a critical juncture. In 2020 alone, wildfires resulted in staggering losses:

With the potential loss of a large portion of California's forests looming in the next 15-20 years, urgent action was needed. However, the complexity of the issue demanded a nuanced approach. Not all fires are detrimental, and not every tree contributes positively to forest health. The consequences of inaction were dire: increased mass mortality, severe climate impacts, water scarcity, disruption of California's food system, and significant threats to human health.

Kei's Approach:
Systems Thinking in Action

We approached the complex challenge of forest management with a comprehensive, systems-thinking methodology. Recognizing the interconnected nature of the issues, we developed a multi-faceted approach to address various aspects simultaneously.

Comprehensive Stakeholder Engagement

We conducted over 100 interviews, contextual inquiries, and co-design sessions across California. Our goal was to understand forest management from multiple perspectives, engaging stakeholders from US Forest Service land managers to Calfire's top management, scientists, emergency responders, policymakers, and industry representatives.

Identifying Core Needs

Our extensive research phase yielded key insights that formed the basis of Land Tender's product strategy. We identified specific needs across various stakeholder groups, from scientists and policy makers to ecosystem professionals and the general public. These findings shaped our approach to developing Land Tender's features and functionality.

Multi-scale Design

We recognized the need for a solution that could operate at various scales, from global policy making to local interventions. This multi-scale approach ensures that Land Tender can provide valuable insights and tools for decision-makers at all levels, addressing the interconnected nature of forest ecosystems and management practices.

AI and Data Integration

Leveraging advanced AI and machine learning, we created a system capable of processing vast amounts of environmental data, maintaining current forest maps, and providing predictive modeling for various scenarios. This integration of cutting-edge technology allows Land Tender to offer unprecedented insights and forecasting capabilities.

User-Centric Design

We focused on creating an intuitive interface accessible to all stakeholders, from seasoned forest managers to local community leaders. By prioritizing usability, we ensured that Land Tender's sophisticated capabilities would be accessible and actionable for users across different levels of technical expertise.

This approach allowed us to create a solution that addresses the complex challenges of forest management from multiple angles, setting the foundation for Land Tender's transformative impact on forest resilience strategies.

Research Synthesis and Product Strategy

Our extensive research phase yielded key insights that formed the basis of Land Tender's product strategy. This synthesis revealed specific needs across various stakeholder groups:

This comprehensive understanding of stakeholder needs informed every aspect of Land Tender's development, ensuring the platform would create value for each group while encouraging cross-sector collaboration and engagement.

The Framework for Resilience

Our collaboration with the US Forest Service revealed an ongoing effort by a diverse multi-agency team to develop a conceptual framework for resilience. This team of scientists, land managers, and policy makers had been working for years to create a comprehensive perspective on land management, considering a wide range of benefits from resilient socio-ecological systems. Their work culminated in the identification of ten key landscape outcomes, termed the "pillars of resilience."

The underlying metrics of this framework are complex, interconnected, and far-reaching. We worked closely with the multi-agency team to integrate their insights into Land Tender's decision support system. This collaboration led to the co-development of a 'resilience scorecard,' enabling users to evaluate landscape metrics across multiple scales.

To aid in communicating this complex framework, we created a visualization that captures the essence of the resilience pillars at a glance. This visual tool not only serves as an integral part of Land Tender but has also been adopted by the US Forest Service for their broader communications, underscoring its effectiveness in conveying these critical concepts.

The Solution: Land Tender

Land Tender emerged as a cloud-based natural resource management platform designed to accelerate and scale the restoration of resilience to rapidly changing ecological systems. Key features include:

Scenario Planning and Ecosystem Valuation:
A Game-Changer for Land Management

One of Land Tender's most innovative features is its sophisticated scenario planning capability, powered by AI and remote sensing technology. This tool transforms the way land managers approach ecosystem management and valuation.

Land Tender integrates over 70 layers of land management data, including natural features, human-created assets, fire danger, drought conditions, and economic potential. Users can adjust various factors - from biodiversity priorities to budget constraints - and immediately see the projected impacts on the ecosystem and local communities.

The platform's visualizations help stakeholders understand the tangible benefits of investing in ecosystem health. By providing a clear, data-driven link between land management actions and long-term ecosystem value, Land Tender is helping to reshape how we think about the economics of conservation.

The implications of this advanced scenario planning and ecosystem valuation extend far beyond forest management. Land Tender is helping to unlock a resilience economy where insurance, financial markets, and corporations are linked economically to thriving rural communities and ecosystems.

Impact and Outcomes

Land Tender has shown promising results and attracted significant investment:

• Tahoe Basin Deployment
  The first major customer installation covers 1.5 million acres across the Lake Tahoe Basin and surrounding critical watersheds.
• Significant Funding
  In 2022, Vibrant Planet secured $17M in initial funding. Recently, they raised an additional $15M in a Series A round led by the Ecosystem Integrity Fund, bringing their total funding to $34 million.
• Time-Saving:
  Land Tender significantly reduces the time required for land management collaboratives to agree on wildfire reduction plans, from decades to months or years.
• Expanding Coverage
  Land Tender is now being used to manage 7 million acres, an area larger than the state of Vermont.
• Paradigm Shift
  The platform is changing how land managers approach forest resilience, moving from reactive fire suppression to proactive ecosystem management.
• Growing Team
  Vibrant Planet has assembled an impressive science team, including experts from academia, the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and NASA.
• Expanding Reach
  While California was the initial focus, Land Tender has already been implemented in other regions, demonstrating its adaptability and potential for widespread application in various fire-prone ecosystems.

Lessons Learned

The Future

As climate change continues to impact our forests globally, tools like Land Tender will become increasingly crucial. Vibrant Planet's vision extends beyond California, aiming to create a comprehensive platform for ecological resilience that can be applied to fire-prone ecosystems worldwide.

The potential applications of Land Tender are vast:

By bridging the gap between cutting-edge technology and on-the-ground forest management, Kei and Vibrant Planet have created a powerful tool for shaping a more resilient future for our forests and communities. Land Tender stands as a testament to the power of innovative thinking, interdisciplinary collaboration, and user-centered design in addressing some of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time.