Sierra Business Council Launches Biomass Utilization Initiative

The Sierra Business Council (SBC) has launched a new Wood Utilization Initiative to expand opportunities for use of forest biomass and underutilized wood across the Sierra Nevada. The initiative will support forest resilience, local economic development and community energy solutions by helping communities plan and advance wood utilization infrastructure.

Across the Sierra Nevada, forest restoration and wildfire risk reduction projects generate significant volumes of woody material. However, limited local processing infrastructure and markets often require this material to be transported long distances for disposal or processing, increasing costs and limiting opportunities to capture economic value locally.

SBC’s Wood Utilization Initiative seeks to address these challenges by connecting regional partners, identifying viable project opportunities, and helping communities advance infrastructure that transforms woody material into products such as lumber, biochar, wood chips and renewable heat and energy.

According to SBC’s Mike Witherspoon, wood utilization project manager, “Too many wood utilization projects in California take too long or never get off the ground. Our goal is to identify projects with a strong likelihood of success and move them toward completion—turning forest management challenges into lasting economic opportunities for Sierra communities.”

The initiative focuses on three goals: Reducing the distance forest biomass must travel for processing or utilization, expanding local economic opportunities associated with wood-based products and energy, and building community partnerships that support responsible wood utilization.

The initiative’s first phase will focus on the North Tahoe–Truckee region, where SBC will work with local governments, facility owners, forest managers, and other partners to identify opportunities for community-scale wood utilization.

A central component of this work will be a regional heat demand assessment to identify facilities with energy needs that may be suitable for biomass heating or combined heat-and-power systems, potentially in combination with other renewable energy and storage technologies.

SBC’s preliminary approach calls for assessing approximately 30 facilities, identifying five promising candidates for feasibility studies, and advancing a priority project toward detailed design, permitting, and potential implementation funding.

In addition to technical analysis, SBC will coordinate regional partnerships, explore funding opportunities, and support community engagement to help ensure potential projects align with local needs and priorities.

Witherspoon has served on several local boards, including the Northstar Community Services District and Truckee River Watershed Council. As wood utilization project manager, he will lead regional network development, opportunity mapping, feasibility planning, and coordination among prospective project partners.

Through the initiative, SBC aims to support a network of community-scale wood utilization facilities that creates new economic opportunities, reduces transportation and disposal costs, and strengthens the connection between forest management and community resilience.

Founded in 1994, SBC works to increase resilience in Sierra communities and advance solutions that benefit the region and California as a whole.

For more information about the SBC’s Wood Utilization Initiative or opportunities to collaborate, visit sierrabusiness.org