California receives $1.8 million for wood innovation projects

Release Date: May 16, 2016

VALLEJO, California – U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell announced on Friday that the Pacific Southwest Region will receive $1.8 million for eight wood innovation projects.

As a state, California had more projects selected and will receive more funding than any of the other 19 states with wood innovation projects. A total of 8 out of 10 projects were selected for the region with 40 out of 77 projects ($8.5 million) accepted nationally.

The range of projects chosen reflects the region’s strategic emphasis on wood and biomass utilization diversification to support ecosystem management and hazardous fuels reduction. 

Special emphasis was placed this year on projects that support the Governor’s Emergency Tree Mortality Proclamation. 

“We are delighted to receive this funding to reduce our forest restoration costs and generate jobs through strong forest products markets,” said Regional Forester Randy Moore. “These selections will improve forest health and strengthen rural communities.”

Here are the eight projects that were selected for California:

U.S. Forest Service California 2016 Wood Innovation Grants

	County or Area Involved	Project	Recipient
	Statewide	Bioenergy and Biomass Financing Technical Assistance	Northern California Community Loan Fund
	Northern California	Due Diligence for Potential Northern California Oriented Strand Board (OSB) Plant	The Beck Group
	Yuba, Butte, Plumas, Sierra	Developing Bulk Mulch Markets	Soper-Wheeler Co. LLC
	Kern, Tulare, Riverside	Value-Added Mulch for Niche Markets	Viramontes Express
	Mariposa	Mariposa Biomass Project	Mariposa County Resource Conservation District
	Plumas	Biomass Combined Heat Power Implementation	Sierra Institute for  Community & Environment
	Sacramento, Placer	Market Incentive Mechanisms for Expanding Wood to Energy in SMUD Service Territory	Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD)
	Shasta	Northeast California Biomass Energy Cluster	Fall River Resource Conservation District

Over the last 10 years, the U.S. Forest Service has invested approximately $33 million in over 60 different wood and biomass utilization projects.

The mission of the U.S. Forest Service, part U.S. Department of Agriculture, is to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. Public lands the Forest Service manages contribute more than $13 billion to the economy each year through visitor spending alone. Those same lands provide 20 percent of the nation's clean water supply, a value estimated at $7.2 billion per year. The agency has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 80 percent of the 850 million forested acres within the U.S., of which 100 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.

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