Firewood Production:

With the majority of Plumas County residents relying on wood stoves for their primary source of heat, there is a considerable retail firewood market locally. A local family-owned operation sells split firewood to the community, derived from otherwise non-merchantable material from logging operations, such as tree tops and small diameter logs.

Native Plant Propagation:

Infrastructure to propagate native plants is being integrated into the wood products campus to advance forest restoration work. With support from the CAL FIRE Workforce and Business Development program, Sierra Institute constructed a shade house to grow native plants for restoration work at Lassen Volcanic National Park. So far, 4,000 native grass plant starts have been donated to the park, and 3,000 new seeds have just been planted.

CLT Manufacturing Operation:

Mosaic Timber, the state’s first cross-laminated timber manufacturing facility, will be the initial linchpin of interconnected forest restoration and value-added wood utilization work at the campus. With support from the U.S. Forest Service, CAL FIRE, and the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, Sierra Institute has purchased equipment, including a CLT press, finger jointer, and CNC machine, that will be operated onsite to produce fire-resistant, sustainable panels to help local communities rebuild housing lost to fires and wherever carbon-smart single-family, multi-family, and commercial structures are needed.

Gasification, Hydrogen and Sustainable Aviation Fuels:

California’s Department of Conservation supported Sierra Institute’s Phase I study of biomass conversion to hydrogen and liquid transportation fuels through gasification, a thermochemical process. The Institute has invested in studies that have identified an abundance of local biomass that, if removed through thinning, will dramatically reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire and help reverse the trend of California’s high-risk forests becoming net carbon emitters.

Sawmill:

Locating wood utilization activities near forest restoration projects reduces hauling costs and energy expenditures, and helps ensure that high-value timber products benefit their communities of origin. Even before the Dixie Fire was out, Sierra Institute supported by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy and partners launched a community-scale, family-operated sawmill onsite to provide milled lumber for rebuilding. Sierra Institute is looking to launch sawmilling for CLT production. CLT manufacturing streamlines the forest-to-consumer connection, enabling California homes to be efficiently built using California wood.

Biomass Boiler:

In places like Plumas County, heating homes and institutions often means relying on propane and fuel oil—expensive, inefficient fossil fuels that increase rural energy insecurity. The Sierra Institute is working to change that by introducing biomass heating systems powered by local wood waste from forest restoration projects. From funding assistance to technical guidance, the Sierra Institute aims to help rural partners navigate the transition to biomass heat. The payoff for using biomass for heating purposes is long-term: cleaner energy, healthier forests, and a stronger local economy. The woodchip storage shed at the campus is a first step towards supplying renewable heat to the county.