The Divine Fire Foundation is a conservation-oriented foundation dedicated to advancing wildfire resilience, ecological stewardship, and place-based understanding of fire-adapted landscapes.
Founded by T7GR, the Foundation operates at the intersection of conservation practice, wildfire ecology, and applied learning. Its work is grounded in the belief that meaningful progress on wildfire requires presence, proximity, and ethical engagement with landscapes during fire season itself.
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Our Purpose
Wildfire is no longer an episodic disturbance. It is a defining ecological force shaping forests, watersheds, biodiversity, and human settlement across the American West and beyond. Yet, much of the research, policy, technology development, and conservation planning related to wildfire is conducted far from fire-affected landscapes, often outside the temporal window when fire most strongly influences ecological and social systems.
The Divine Fire Foundation exists to address this gap.
Our purpose is to support conservation-aligned individuals and organizations whose work benefits from direct engagement with fire-adapted landscapes during periods of high to extreme wildfire risk—when learning is most immediate, constraints are most visible, and context matters most.
The Divine Fire Foundation does not operate as a commercial laboratory, a venture incubator, or a wildfire response organization.
Current program areas include:
• Conservation-relevant drone and sensing evaluation
Field-based evaluation of drone and environmental sensing technologies operated by qualified third parties, focused on heat mapping, terrain interaction, and environmental conditions in fire-affected landscapes. This work contributes to conservation insight and land-management understanding rather than commercial deployment or wildfire response.
• Fire ecology and plant-based studies
Applied studies examining how different plant communities respond to varying burn intensities and heat exposure. Work integrates direct field observation with heat-mapping correlation and post-fire ecological assessment to inform restoration strategies and long-term stewardship of fire-adapted ecosystems.
• Fire, smoke, and operational adaptation in wine and event spaces
Applied work examining how wineries and event space operators respond to fire and smoke conditions, including adjustments to harvest timing and vineyard practices, monitoring of smoke exposure and air quality, and planning for guest safety and operational continuity. This work also involves testing tools that support more informed, real-time decision-making under dynamic environmental conditions.
• Mobile firefighter health, cleansing, and recovery concepts
Exploratory, non-operational work focused on mobile concepts that support firefighter health and exposure reduction, including cleansing and recovery considerations. This work is intended to inform public-benefit solutions without providing emergency response services.
• Fire-season preparedness strategies for small hospitality operators
Development of practical guidance and applied learning resources for bed-and-breakfasts and small lodging operators in wildfire-prone regions, focused on guest safety, evacuation readiness, communication protocols, and decision-making during fire season.
Our Field Station Ethos
The Divine Fire Foundation is guided by principles shared with long-standing conservation field stations:
Situated Learning
Understanding wildfire and conservation emerges from proximity to place and season, not abstraction alone.
Non-Intervention
Residents engage as observers, thinkers, and learners. The Foundation does not facilitate access to active fire operations or restricted zones.
Applied Conservation
Time spent at the residency supports work that informs land management, restoration, policy, and public understanding.
Reciprocity With Place
Engagement respects the ecosystems and communities that live with wildfire as a recurring condition.
Safety First
All programming adapts to fire behavior, smoke conditions, and regional advisories.
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Who We Support
The Foundation supports individuals and organizations whose work contributes to conservation and wildfire resilience, including:
• Fire ecologists, environmental scientists, and conservation researchers
• Land managers, restoration practitioners, and prescribed fire professionals
• Policy analysts and planners working on fire-adapted landscapes
• Educators, journalists, and scholars focused on wildfire and land use
• Technologists developing tools in service of conservation outcomes
Priority is given to work that advances:
• Ecological understanding
• Conservation practice
• Responsible land stewardship
• Public benefit
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Timing & Safety
Residencies are offered seasonally, typically from summer through early fall, and are subject to continuous safety assessment.
Participant safety is paramount. The Foundation may modify, pause, or suspend residencies in response to:
• Fire behavior
• Smoke and air quality
• Evacuation orders or access restrictions
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Our Relationship to T7GR
The Divine Fire Foundation was founded by T7GR, a technology and conservation initiative committed to advancing innovative, ethical approaches to land stewardship and resilience.