Sierra Institute
  • About
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Staff and Board
    • Field Staff
    • Sierra Institute History
    • About Indian Valley
  • What We Do
    • Restoration and Field Work
      • West Shore Project
      • Adult Restoration Crews
    • Rural Community Development
      • Disadvantaged Community and Tribal Involvement Program
      • Socioeconomic Monitoring
      • Sierra Fellows
    • Wood Utilization
      • Biomass Heat
      • Community Build
      • Sierra Forest Entrepreneurs Program
      • Indian Valley Wood Utilization Campus
    • Collaborative Groups
      • Sierra to California All-Lands Enhancement (SCALE)
      • South Lassen Watersheds Group
      • Lake Almanor Watershed Group
      • Burney Hat Creek Community Forest and Watershed Group
    • Youth Stewardship
      • P-CREWPlumas Conservation, Restoration, & Education in Watersheds
        Plumas Conservation, Restoration, & Education in Watersheds
      • Natural Resource Education
  • Job Opportunities
  • Learn More
    • Publications
    • Media
    • ForestFest
    • Blog
    • Almanor Updates
  • News & Updates
  • Get Involved
  • Donate
  • About
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Staff and Board
    • Field Staff
    • Sierra Institute History
    • About Indian Valley
  • What We Do
    • Restoration and Field Work
      • West Shore Project
      • Adult Restoration Crews
    • Rural Community Development
      • Disadvantaged Community and Tribal Involvement Program
      • Socioeconomic Monitoring
      • Sierra Fellows
    • Wood Utilization
      • Biomass Heat
      • Community Build
      • Sierra Forest Entrepreneurs Program
      • Indian Valley Wood Utilization Campus
    • Collaborative Groups
      • Sierra to California All-Lands Enhancement (SCALE)
      • South Lassen Watersheds Group
      • Lake Almanor Watershed Group
      • Burney Hat Creek Community Forest and Watershed Group
    • Youth Stewardship
      • P-CREW
      • Natural Resource Education
  • Job Opportunities
  • Learn More
    • Publications
    • Media
    • ForestFest
    • Blog
    • Almanor Updates
  • News & Updates
  • Get Involved
  • Donate

RISE-ing Up To The Challenge

October 13, 2021  |  By Sierra Institute Blogs

By Lauren Redmore and Zoe Watson

The timber industry decline that led to mill closures in the 1990s left many rural forested communities in California without an economic base, driving out many families in search of economic opportunity. Those who stayed behind still lack family supporting employment opportunities. 

As timber processing capability plummeted before stabilizing in recent years, the need to manage forest resources is more critical than ever due to the overstocking of trees and extreme drought that has culminated in this year’s Dixie fire. 

Despite the state’s efforts to grow a working forest sector, the industry has yet to be retooled to more effectively integrate ecologic, social, and economic benefits.   

Across the state, wood products campuses, like Sierra Institute’s very own Indian Valley Wood Products Campus in Crescent Mills, have been advanced as part of the solution. However, many campuses struggle to recruit wood product manufacturing businesses because there are few businesses left. 

As a result, much of the biomass harvested from fuels reduction and forest restoration work is left in the forest or piled and burned. This represents a net loss of material that could contribute to the state’s wood products sector, bring economic benefit to struggling rural economies, and help with efforts in rebuilding communities that have been devastated by recent wildfires, including Greenville and Indian Falls.   

Federal and state agencies, as well as other nonprofit organizations, have already launched programs, as well as formal and informal coordination groups, to address forest restoration challenges and needs across rural forested regions of California. The Sierra Institute has taken a leadership role amongst these groups to coordinate and accelerate efforts to build a forest restoration workforce and grow forest-sector businesses. These efforts have led to the submission of a million-dollar Rural Innovation, Stronger Economy (RISE) grant through the USDA as well as several additional large grant proposals currently in the works.   

Through these grant proposals, the Sierra Institute will coordinate work across the sector, focusing on supporting community-scale businesses anchored in rural, forested and impoverished communities at risk to wildfire.  

If successful, the project will strategically align resources from various government, for-profit, and nonprofit entities that are working to develop the forest industry and coordinate efforts to link and advance community-scale businesses, wood products campuses, and wood product markets. The project will build community-scale industry from the ground-up through a virtual incubator that will provide direct technical assistance to wood products campuses and their co-located businesses located in rural, struggling economies.   

The Sierra Institute understands that rural economic development is crucial to ensure our forests are well-managed and communities are thriving. As our Indian Valley community and region begin the process of recovery from this tragic wildfire season, we recommit to continued efforts with key partners, forest businesses, and local communities to advance sustainable solutions to meet today’s challenges for tomorrow’s future. 

Learn more about our work in rural economic development:

Previous StoryYouth Support Wildland Urban Interface Fuels Reduction Efforts in Butterfly Valley
Next StoryHow Has the Dixie Fire Affected Sierra Institute’s Work?

Related Articles

  • Reinvesting in Working Forests, Business by Business
  • Forest Products for Forest Communities

Sierra Institute on Instragram

Please check the widget data

Popular Posts

  • Day-1_Walking-Tour_Gville-Museum
    Sustainability Institute 2018: Part One Wednesday, 14, Feb
  • Native Plant Propagation: A New Collaborative and a Novice Horticulturist Friday, 9, Apr
  • Youth Support Wildland Urban Interface Fuels Reduction Efforts in Butterfly Valley Tuesday, 25, May
  • Earth Day Reflections by Spencer Lachman Thursday, 22, Apr
  • How Has the Dixie Fire Affected Sierra Institute’s Work? Wednesday, 13, Oct
  • Reinvesting in Working Forests, Business by Business Thursday, 4, Nov

Categories

Tags

academic Biomass coalition Collaboration Community Community Well Being conservation Cowboy in the Forest Environment Having Fun Healthy Forests interview Jobs Learning Local Investments Mass Timber natural resources Nature Rules! New Friendships outdoor adventures Personal Health policy policy process Positive Mental Attitude public policy research resource management Rural Communities Rural Communtities Rural Economies Rural Voices Sierra Fellows Socioeconomic Monitoring teen health and wellness Tours Urban & Rural Value Added Products watershed Watershed Health Water Supply Whirling Disease wildfire wildlife Workshops Worth It

Archives

  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • November 2020
  • August 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017

Help Us Promote Vibrant Rural Communities

DONATE TODAY

P.O. Box 11, 4438 Main Street
Taylorsville, CA 95983

530-284-1022 phone
530-284-1023 fax
info@SierraInstitute.us

NEWSLETTER SIGN-UP



© 2020 Sierra Institute