[robbedpeter]

Use those drones to seed locally appropriate mushroom species with spore sprays. Even better, preemptively identify piles of deadwood and prioritize larger piles. Bonus points if the mushrooms are edible. Double bonus points if they're magic.

More mushrooms means more water retention, less fuel that's less dry overall, and a niche in the ecosystem is filled , expanding activity in the adjacent niches, which in turn speeds the disappearance of biodegradable mass.

[robbedpeter]

To clarify, just add spores to the water before deploying, it'll still be just as good in suppressing fires, and it reduces long term buildup. Win/Win!