High Road Training Partnership
Stewarding Land & Creating Jobs
Sierra Institute’s High Road to Tribal Forest Restoration and Stewardship program partners with California Native American Tribes, Tribally led non-profits, and local organizations to offer workforce training in forest health, fire, and land stewardship, preparing participants for in-demand jobs.
More than just technical skill-building, HRTP builds capacity and works with Tribal leadership to create long-term employment strategies for each partner’s unique department or business. HRTP works to link training directly to employment and family-supporting wages. Since July 2021, the program has trained over 700 unique individuals from Tribal nations and organizations across California.
Centering Tribal Sovereignty in Training and Employment
Each partnership begins with a conversation and formal assessment of tribal needs and goals related to ecological health and workforce development. Tribes are the leaders of the process, developing workforce goals and a training plan that aligns with their personnel, the landscape, and current work available. HRTP supports the development of Tribal-led crews and workforce pathways tailored to the specific goals, capacity, and vision of each Tribal partner.
Connecting Training to Work on the Ground
Together, Sierra Institute staff and Tribal partners identify opportunities to establish collaborative partnerships with local, State, and Federal agencies and organizations to advance the connection between training and employment. Through processes like Master Stewardship Agreements, and private contracts, newly trained crews can get to work on the land directly following training with a solid foundation of support.
Community-Specific Planning
HRTP training occurs in the community that is participating, with trainers familiar with the Sierra Nevada and Tribal communities. Often local knowledge is integrated through Tribal Elders and other Tribal specialists.
HRTP Impact
Worker Centered, Hands-on Trainings
Participants are compensated for their time and earn industry-recognized credentials that help them enter or advance in restoration and fire-focused careers. Common trainings include Wilderness First Aid and CPR, S-212 Beginner Chainsaw Operation and Maintenance, Intermediate Chainsaw and Basic Felling Techniques, Hazard Tree Removal, Small Engine Repair, Crew and/or Administrative Leadership & Management, Heavy Equipment Logging Operations, and Resource Advisory (READ).
HRTP in Action
Leadership Training for Field and Administrative Staff
HRTP leadership trainings build field and administrative leadership capacity through interactive sessions focused on topics like risk management and safety, worker wellness, administrative personnel policies, and more.
In the Spring of 2025, partners in the High Road to Tribal Forest Restoration and Stewardship program gathered in South Lake Tahoe for a 2-day event. Over 100 tribal leaders participated in the gathering, covering relevant issues like developing a stewardship crew, returning good fire to the landscape, consultation and nation-to-nation relations, and more.
Inter-Tribal Fire Crew
The Inter-Tribal Fire Crew trains leaders and skilled practitioners in cultural fire, fire response, and land stewardship. The vision brings together tribal fire professionals from throughout California for deployment and mutual aid during wildfire and cultural burning events. Trained through HRTP, the Inter-Tribal Fire Crew builds strong partnerships across tribal territories and places original caretakers on the front line.
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