Utilities are moving from a detect-and-react mindset to a prevention-focused mindset. New AI models give operators the foresight to act before outages and ignitions occur.
- Overstory’s new breakdown model and new ignition model Identify specific trees, shrubs and utility equipment most likely to start the next wildfire or cause a power outage, giving operators a prioritized list of exactly what to address before an incident occurs.
- General scenarios allows utilities to compare the cost and potential risk reduction of any resilience program in real time, ensuring operational budgets are directed towards the highest impact work.
AMSTERDAM, April 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Overstory, the leading grid resiliency platform trusted by 6 of North America’s 10 largest utilities, today announced industry-first AI models that predict where utility-driven outages and wildfires are most likely to start. New ignition and failure models mark the shift from paper maps and subjective data to predictive scenario planning, giving operators a prioritized view of the exact work that will prevent the most damage per dollar spent.
Public services are going through a period of profound transformation. Rising costs, stronger storms and escalating wildfire risks are converging on an already stressed industry, forcing operators to get smarter about every dollar spent and every mile of network they protect. For the past seven years, utilities have trusted Overstory to design programs that reduce vegetation and wildfire risks across their entire network. Today’s release expands on this work, giving operators the ability to model a series of scenarios to predict where risks are greatest, what it would cost to address them, and what actions can most effectively reduce them.
Building on years of hazard identification, new models predict breakdowns and ignitions
Since its inception in 2018, Overstory has released a series of innovative models that analyze satellite data and aerial imagery to determine tree height, tree health, and underground fuels in utility networks. Trained over millions of miles and extensively validated by certified arborists, these models give utilities a data-driven view of vegetation and fuel risks at every span, down to every tree or shrub.
Today’s release adds a new layer: By incorporating a utility’s historical outages and fires alongside factors like asset age and weather data, models can identify specific interventions most likely to prevent the next incident, whether that’s cutting down a dying tree, mowing dry grass around a utility pole, or replacing an aging asset in a corridor at high risk of ignition.
From paper maps to dynamic scenario modeling
Overstory Scenarios allows utilities to dynamically model resilience programs to combat wildfire, asset, and vegetation risks across their networks. For decades, utilities have faced increasing risks by deploying more resources – a logical response given the tools available at the time. But as costs continue to rise, this path is no longer tenable. Forward-thinking utilities and regulators are calling for a more predictive, data-driven approach: one that takes more risk into account within the budgets available to them.
Overstory scenarios fill this gap. Teams can design risk-based programs, explore alternative scenarios, and weigh trade-offs between cost reduction and risk reduction. Analyzes that once took weeks can now be done in real time, helping utilities determine where the risk lies, how much it costs to remediate it, and how to minimize risk with every dollar spent.
“For years, utilities have been asked to do more with less, as storms and wildfires increased in frequency and severity. What utilities need now is foresight: the ability to act before an outage or fire occurs. That’s what these models make possible for the first time.”
Fiona Spruill, CEO, Overstory
With this information, utilities can continue to deliver on their enduring promise: safe, reliable and affordable energy.
For more information, visit overstory.com.
About Overstory:
Overstory is the enterprise network resiliency platform that helps utilities prevent outages and wildfires. Using satellite imagery and proprietary AI models, Overstory analyzes vegetation risks and fuel conditions across a utility’s network, highlighting the highest-impact interventions and the trade-offs behind them. Designed for the unique operational reality of each utility, Overstory helps teams dedicate every dollar to the highest-risk areas to keep communities safe. Overstory is trusted by 6 of the 10 largest utilities in North America and is backed by Blume Equity, Energy Impact Partners, B Capital and Semapa Next. Based in Boston and Amsterdam.
Media contact:
Cait Harding
Vice President of Marketing
cait.harding@overstory.com
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