Kamloops' Innovatree Carbon Group wins Telus AI Innovation Award for Forest Guardian
The LiDAR and machine-learning platform maps forests tree by tree for timber planning, carbon baselines and wildfire risk.
Kamloops-based Innovatree Carbon Group has won the "AI Innovation Award" in Telus's annual #StandWithOwners small business program, Techcouver reported on Thursday.
Innovatree's Forest Guardian platform uses LiDAR, geospatial technology and machine-learning algorithms to map woodland tree by tree. Use cases include automating timber planning, calculating carbon sequestration baselines and identifying high-fuel zones for proactive wildfire mitigation.
Innovatree is one of three 2026 grand prize winners, each receiving $125,000 worth of support. The others are Silverts Adaptive Clothing and Footwear, which won the Future Forward Award, and Atome Bakery, which won the Business Growth Award. Six Community Award winners each receive $10,000 in support.
Telus says it has invested a total of $7 million through the program since 2020. "Small business owners are the heartbeat of our communities," said Telus executive vice-president David Fuller.
For B.C. forestry and wildfire planning, tree-level mapping from a homegrown company is a practical use of AI close to home.
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