Economic Recovery

Rural communities in California’s Sierra-Cascade region face a unique set of challenges. Many struggle with economic diversification and job creation as opportunities associated with mining and timber production have declined. Tourism, recreation, and working landscapes remain the foundation of local economies. In this context, we have seen the devastation that a large, damaging wildfire can wreak on the citizens, communities, and natural resources of the region. Economically, many Sierra-Cascade communities are ill equipped to deal with the loss of business, infrastructure, and other major disruptions these events create.

To bring the region to holistic health, local communities must be empowered to address urgent needs, plan for the future, and envision new tools and partnerships. Investments in emerging infrastructure and workforce development programs around sustainable forest management, including a distributed network of biomass energy production facilities co-located with wood products campuses, are particularly promising.