TechFlow News, June 6: ZODL, a core contributor to the Zcash ecosystem, announced a new network upgrade proposal and privacy pool named Ironwood, developed in collaboration with Tachyon, Valar Group, the Zcash Foundation, and Shielded Labs. Ironwood will be built upon the existing Orchard protocol and further strengthened through formal verification and additional independent audits.
Under the proposal, the entire ZEC supply currently in Orchard will migrate to Ironwood via a “Turnstile” mechanism. This mechanism enables anyone to independently verify the circulating ZEC supply, ensuring that the amount of ZEC in circulation does not exceed the quantity actually transferred into the new pool. After the upgrade, the Orchard pool will disable new deposits and internal transactions, permitting funds to move to Ironwood exclusively via the Turnstile.
ZODL stated that the recent Orchard soundness issue has been responsibly disclosed and resolved through coordinated upgrades. There is currently no evidence that the vulnerability was exploited, nor any indication that user funds, privacy, or the total ZEC supply were affected. Wallets supporting Orchard are expected to provide a one-click migration feature post-upgrade, and users’ existing Orchard receiving addresses will remain functional. The team plans to activate Ironwood by the end of July 2026—following the deprecation of zcashd at block height 3,417,100—but the exact timing remains subject to progress in testing, review, and ecosystem coordination.
