About this Event Our bi-annual SCALE meetings are an opportunity to bring together collaborative groups working on landscape-scale restoration projects across the West, in order to share best practices, hear […]
Healthy Forests
“Not If But When: Wildfire Solutions” Film Screening
There are few topics more crucial to a healthy Sierra than wildfire – but what will it really take to address a problem this big and this urgent? Please join […]
State of the Lake – Community Vitality
A vibrant community is based in a healthy ecosystem – but just as important is a working economy. When we were planning this event—long before pandemic made in-person gathering impossible—we […]
Essential Ingredients
While driving from Oregon toward Indian Valley and my new position as Watershed Coordinator at the Sierra Institute for Community and Environment, I reflected on the circuitous route that finally […]
Sierra Institute Chosen for Rural Community Investment
Wood utilization in the Sierra Nevada got a big boost when the Sierra Nevada Conservancy awarded $400,000 to Sierra Institute for enhancing local business. The funding will help the Taylorsville-based […]
Collaborative forest restoration: one response to wildfire
On November 15th, Kyle and I attended a meeting of the Yosemite Stanislaus Solutions (YSS) collaborative group in Sonora, California. It includes a diverse array of stakeholders, such as representatives […]
Learning About Forest Collaboratives
Last month I attended a meeting of the Burney-Hat Creek Community Forest and Watershed Group (BHCCFWG, or BHC for short). It was held at the Hat Creek Radio Observatory, a […]
Wrapping Up Sustainability Institute
“By taking care of the environment, the environment takes care of us.” “Sustainability is maintaining communities even during environmental and economic changes.” “Sustainability is what holds our small town together.” […]
Seeing the forest and the trees
Last week I attended a U.S. Forest Service training in Central Point, OR where I took a deep dive into silvicultural modeling with the Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) software. My […]
Bringing wood-fired heat to forested California
Last week, we reviewed the importance of advancing wood utilization projects in rural forested communities. A significant component of Sierra Institute’s wood utilization work has been to develop a county-wide […]