CitroTech Targets Wildfire Defense Growth With Hexion JV, CitroSafe Push

Key Points

• CitroTech is expanding its wildfire-defense business across treated wood products, vegetation management near infrastructure, and CitroSafe residential spray systems. Its citric-acid-derived formulation has received Safer Choice recognition and UL GREENGUARD Gold status for treated wood.
• The company formed a 50/50 joint venture with Hexion to leverage Hexion’s manufacturing, distribution and industry relationships. CitroTech is also seeking U.S. Forest Service qualification, which could open access to federal wildfire-prevention projects.
• CitroTech said it has initial pilot revenue, more than 30 certified Western U.S. application partners and an expanding sales channel, but it plans to raise capital through a proposed common-share offering. The company did not disclose the offering’s size, timing or a revenue forecast.

CitroTech NYSEAMERICAN: CITR is positioning its citric-acid-derived fire-retardant technology for use in wildfire prevention, wood products and residential property protection, Chief Executive Officer Wes Bolsen said during a presentation at the LD Micro conference.

Bolsen, who became CEO about a year ago, said the company has been reshaping its operations around wildfire prevention and protection. He noted that CitroTech uplisted from the OTC market to the New York Stock Exchange in December and operates from Oceanside, California, with headquarters in Colorado.

Fire-retardant chemistry and market focus

The company’s product is designed to treat vegetation and wood products to reduce flammability, according to Bolsen. He contrasted CitroTech’s formulation with traditional aerially deployed red fire retardants, which he said are fertilizer-based products that can contain trace heavy metals.

Bolsen said CitroTech’s chemistry uses tripotassium citrate, an ingredient derived from citric acid. He said the Environmental Protection Agency has recognized the product under its Safer Choice program, and that the company has conducted ASTM testing and received UL GREENGUARD Gold status for treated wood products.

CitroTech is pursuing three primary markets:

• Factory-applied treatments for wood and engineered building products;
• Ground applications intended to reduce wildfire ignition risks near utilities, railroads and roadsides; and
• CitroSafe residential systems designed to spray fire-retardant material around homes when a wildfire approaches.

Bolsen said the company’s treatment can be applied to wood by dipping it into the product, rather than using conventional pressure-treatment processes. He said the company sees demand potential in states including California and Colorado, where building requirements in wildfire-prone areas increasingly call for fire-resistant siding and building materials.

Hexion joint venture and federal testing

CitroTech formed a 50/50 joint venture with Hexion, a supplier of adhesives, resins and materials used in engineered wood products. Bolsen said Hexion brings manufacturing, sales, distribution and customer relationships that could help introduce CitroTech-treated products to major wood-products companies.

He cited companies including Weyerhaeuser, Georgia-Pacific, Louisiana-Pacific, Boise Cascade and West Fraser as examples of potential end-market customers for treated wood products, though he did not announce agreements with those companies.

Bolsen said CitroTech’s product is undergoing testing for inclusion on the U.S. Forest Service Qualified Products List. He described federal qualification as an important catalyst because it could allow the company to participate in projects involving federal lands and agencies. The company can currently pursue sales to private landowners, utilities and state or local entities, he said.

According to Bolsen, CitroTech has more than 30 certified partners across the Western U.S., up from about 20 when he joined the company. Those partners are intended to help apply the product rather than requiring CitroTech to build its own nationwide application workforce.

Applications near infrastructure and homes

Bolsen said CitroTech is targeting existing vegetation-management budgets held by utilities, railroads and transportation agencies. He cited Southern California roadside ignition risks and described potential applications around utility poles, high-voltage transmission lines, railroad bridges and evacuation routes.

He also discussed work with San Diego Fire-Rescue involving applications at more than 36 former encampment sites. Bolsen said the effort resulted in zero reignitions at those locations, and he credited Deputy Chief Tony Tosca with leading the effort.

For homeowners, CitroTech is developing the CitroSafe system, which Bolsen described as a control system paired with a tank and spray equipment. The system could be activated remotely or automatically to apply the product around a home during an approaching fire, he said. Bolsen argued that such systems could support home-hardening and insurance efforts in high-risk areas.

The product is intended to break down after heavy rainfall when applied to vegetation, requiring repeat applications in high-risk areas, Bolsen said. For indoor lumber applications, he said the treated wood would not be exposed to weather.

Financing outlook

Bolsen said CitroTech has filed an S-1 registration statement for a common-share offering and expects the company to complete financing. He characterized the company as being at a commercial inflection point, with initial pilot revenue and an expanding sales channel.

He did not provide a financing amount, closing date or revenue forecast. Bolsen said the company’s priority is to reach cash-flow positivity while advancing the wood-products, vegetation-management and home-protection opportunities.

About CitroTech (NYSEAMERICAN:CITR)

CitroTech Inc manufactures and sells fire inhibitor products in the United States and Canada. The company also offers lumber treatment and spraying solutions, as well as develops wildfire defense systems on residential and commercial properties under the CitroSafe Systems brand name. It serves wildland fire, residential home protection, wood products, ground application, lumber and building materials, and construction industries; homeowners; governments; and agencies. The company was formerly known as General Enterprise Ventures, Inc and changed its name to CitroTech Inc in January 2026.

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