From campus to company: How research sparked a new water tech startup – ASU News

Report on Tributary’s Role in Advancing Sustainable Forest and Water Management

A new initiative led by Arizona State University is leveraging advanced technology to address the interconnected challenges of wildfire risk and water scarcity, directly contributing to several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The startup company, Tributary, translates complex scientific research into actionable metrics for managing forest ecosystems and securing water resources.

Project Framework and Technological Innovation

Tributary was founded to provide a quantifiable link between forest restoration activities, such as thinning, and their impact on water availability. This addresses a critical need for utilities, government agencies, and conservation organizations seeking to justify and optimize investments in watershed health.

Core Objectives

• To provide precise measurements of water outcomes resulting from forest management projects.
• To support decision-making for stakeholders involved in water and forest sustainability.
• To bridge the gap between academic hydrological science and practical, market-ready applications.

Technological Approach

The company employs a sophisticated, data-driven methodology to model the effects of forest thinning on the water cycle. This approach represents a significant advancement over traditional estimation methods.

1. Advanced Remote Sensing: Utilizes lidar scans and high-resolution Earth observation data to accurately map forest structure and density.
2. Artificial Intelligence (AI): Leverages AI to process vast datasets and enhance predictive modeling, enabling the creation of detailed forest maps and analyses.
3. Integrated Hydrologic Modeling: Combines forest data with information on topography, soil composition, and precipitation, using the established tRIBS hydrologic model as a foundation.

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Tributary’s work is fundamentally aligned with the global sustainability agenda, offering tangible solutions that advance multiple SDGs simultaneously.

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

The primary mission of Tributary is to enhance integrated water resources management (Target 6.5). By quantifying how forest restoration improves water availability and protects supplies from wildfire-related contamination, the initiative directly supports the sustainable management of water resources.

SDG 15: Life on Land

The project is a direct implementation of sustainable forest management (Target 15.2). By reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires through selective thinning, Tributary helps protect forest ecosystems, halt biodiversity loss, and restore degraded land, thereby enhancing the resilience of terrestrial ecosystems.

SDG 13: Climate Action

Healthier, well-managed forests are more resilient to the impacts of climate change, such as prolonged droughts and hotter temperatures that fuel wildfires. Tributary’s work provides a critical tool for climate adaptation strategies (Target 13.1), strengthening the resilience of natural systems and the water supplies they protect.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

Tributary exemplifies innovation (Target 9.5) by applying cutting-edge AI and remote sensing technologies to an environmental challenge. It promotes the concept of forests as “natural infrastructure,” developing tools to maintain and enhance their function, which is a key aspect of building resilient infrastructure.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

By securing the watersheds that provide water to urban and rural areas, this initiative contributes to making human settlements more resilient and sustainable (Target 11.5). Protecting water infrastructure from the threat of wildfires is essential for community well-being.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The formation of Tributary is a model for multi-stakeholder partnerships (Target 17.17). It represents a collaboration between academia (Arizona State University), the private sector (Tributary), public utilities (Salt River Project), and technology accelerators (Skysong), all working toward a common sustainability objective.

Conclusion and Future Outlook

While currently focused on challenges in Arizona, Tributary is designed as a scalable solution with global applications. The initiative aims to export knowledge and technology to address similar forest and water management issues across the western United States and internationally. By developing both innovative tools and the human capital to implement them, the project serves as a powerful example of how targeted research can be translated into practical solutions that advance the global Sustainable Development Goals.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

  The article’s central theme is the protection of water supplies threatened by wildfires. The startup, Tributary, was founded specifically to “give utilities, governments, nonprofits and companies better tools to measure the real water outcomes of forest restoration projects.” This directly addresses the need for sustainable water management and the protection of water resources.

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

  The article details the creation of a technology startup (Tributary) that grew out of university research. It highlights the use of advanced technologies like “generative AI, open-source software, advanced remote sensing,” and “lidar scans” to create innovative solutions for water management. This focus on translating scientific research into practical, market-ready tools embodies the spirit of innovation for sustainable development.

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  The article opens by stating that “Wildfire seasons are getting longer and hotter,” a direct consequence of climate change. The efforts described, such as forest thinning to “reduce wildfire risk,” are adaptive measures to build resilience against climate-related hazards. The work helps communities adapt to the impacts of climate change on forests and water systems.

• SDG 15: Life on Land

  The core of the article discusses forest management and restoration. It emphasizes that “Healthy forests act like natural infrastructure” and that actions like “thinning dense stands of trees” are crucial for reducing wildfire risk and protecting terrestrial ecosystems. The entire initiative is aimed at promoting the sustainable management of forests.

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  The article showcases a multi-stakeholder partnership involving academia (Arizona State University), the private sector (the startup Tributary), and public utilities (Salt River Project). It also mentions the role of government-backed initiatives like the “Arizona Water Innovation Initiative.” This collaboration is essential for turning “rigorous science” into “usable” solutions for water managers.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 6.5: By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate.

   Tributary’s work provides water managers and utilities with “key watershed metrics and data” to make informed decisions. This technology enables a more integrated approach to managing water resources by quantifying the link between forest health and water availability, which is a core component of integrated water resources management (IWRM).

2. Target 6.6: By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes.

   The article directly links forest health to water supply protection. The practice of “forest restoration, especially thinning dense stands of trees,” is presented as a method to improve water availability and protect the watershed, which is a critical water-related ecosystem.

3. Target 9.5: Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries… encouraging innovation.

   The entire story of Tributary is an example of this target in action. It describes how decades of academic research by Professor Vivoni at ASU were combined with AI and remote sensing technology to create a commercial startup. The article states, “Our contribution is to translate peer-reviewed science into outcomes that water managers actually need,” which is a direct application of scientific research to solve real-world problems.

4. Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.

   The article identifies hotter and longer wildfire seasons as a primary threat. Forest thinning is presented as a key strategy to “reduce wildfire risk.” This is a direct action to strengthen the resilience of both ecosystems and human communities (via their water supply) to the climate-related hazard of wildfires.

5. Target 15.2: By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally.

   The work of Tributary is designed to support and measure the benefits of sustainable forest management practices like “forest thinning.” By providing clear data on the water benefits, the company helps incentivize and guide these restoration projects, thereby promoting the sustainable management of forests to improve their health and resilience.

6. Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships.

   The article highlights the collaboration between ASU (public university), Tributary (private company), and Salt River Project (utility/public-private entity). This partnership is cited as the “momentum to launch” the company, demonstrating an effective model where different sectors work together to achieve a common sustainability goal.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article mentions and implies several indicators that can be used to measure progress:

• Volume of water saved or made available: The most direct indicator is mentioned in the quote, “How much water will this project save each year?” This provides a quantifiable metric to assess the impact of forest restoration on water supplies (relevant to SDG 6).
• Watershed health metrics: The article states that Tributary provides “key watershed metrics and data.” While not specified, these would likely include measurements of soil moisture, evapotranspiration rates, and streamflow, which are used to assess the overall health and function of the watershed ecosystem (relevant to SDG 6 and SDG 15).
• Changes in forest structure: The company uses “lidar scans to map forest structure.” An indicator of progress would be the change in forest density (e.g., trees per acre) in treated areas, which is a direct measure of the implementation of forest thinning projects (relevant to SDG 15).
• Area of forest under sustainable management/restoration: The application of Tributary’s tools to specific projects implies tracking the acreage of forests being thinned or restored. This serves as an indicator for the scale of sustainable forest management efforts (relevant to SDG 15).
• Reduction in wildfire risk: Although not a direct metric mentioned, the primary goal of forest thinning is to “reduce wildfire risk.” The data on forest structure and density could be used in models to estimate a reduction in risk (e.g., potential flame length or rate of spread), serving as a key indicator for climate adaptation (relevant to SDG 13).

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: news.asu.edu