Scientists have long known that there’s a slight electrical current in trees, but they haven’t understood the source of this power until recently. Researcher at MIT have discovered that the current is due to the pH difference between the tree and the soil that it’s rooted in. And the greater the pH difference, the greater the power that is generated. With this mystery solved, the next step was to harness that power.

The same researcher came up with a scenario to use the current to charge a battery for a sensor that would record measurements on soil and air condition and transmit the data via radio transmission. The sensors have now been commercialized by Voltree Power, and are strongly being considered as a means of a fire early warning system for the nation’s forests.

Read more about this reasearch in this Boston Globe story.

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