Sierra Business Council Launches Wood Utilization Initiative

The initiative seeks to turn forest-thinning and wildfire-reduction wood into lumber, biochar, chips, and renewable heat and energy across the Sierra Nevada.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Utilities

Stacked cut logs and a mound of wood chips at the edge of a clearing in a Sierra Nevada pine forest under soft morning light. — The Sierra Business Council launched a Wood Utilization Initiative across the Sierra Nevada, hiring Mike Witherspoon to turn forest-thinning wood into lumber, biochar, and renewable heat. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Should your community invest in turning forest wood waste into local energy?

The Sierra Business Council launched a Wood Utilization Initiative across the Sierra Nevada, hiring Mike Witherspoon as its wood utilization project manager. The effort aims to support forest resilience, local economic development, and community energy solutions.

Why it matters

Forest restoration and wildfire risk reduction generate large volumes of woody material, but limited local processing infrastructure often forces it to be hauled long distances at higher cost. The initiative targets that gap for communities across California's Sierra Nevada region.

The initiative's preliminary approach calls for assessing approximately 30 facilities and narrowing them to five promising candidates for feasibility studies. The specific projects that will advance and their funding sources remain undetermined.

The players

Sierra Business Council

A regional nonprofit founded in 1994 that works on economic and environmental policy across the Sierra Nevada.

Mike Witherspoon

A civil and geotechnical engineer with a master's degree from Virginia Tech who has served on the Northstar Community Services District and Truckee River Watershed Council boards.

The details

The initiative connects regional partners, identifies viable projects, and helps communities advance wood utilization infrastructure. It will conduct a regional heat demand assessment to identify facilities suitable for biomass heating or combined heat-and-power systems.

November 3, 2026: Sierra Business Council announced the Wood Utilization Initiative launch.

Utilities Context

The initiative extends forest-biomass energy planning from waste disposal toward community-scale heat and power projects in the Sierra Nevada. Its heat demand assessment would test whether biomass heating or combined heat-and-power systems can replace hauled-away woody debris in California's wildfire-prone mountain communities.

Communities with forest-thinning programs may see future options for local biomass heating or combined heat-and-power systems. Residents are not directly affected by the initiative's preliminary assessments until specific projects move forward.

The takeaway

Turning wildfire-reduction wood into local energy and products could lower the cost of forest restoration for mountain communities. Watch for which priority project advances to detailed design and permitting.