Sierra Institute for Community and Environment

Community based Natural Resource Management: The Sierra Institute's Community-based Natural Resource Management program includes on-the-ground resource management, applied research, and capacity-building work to promote resilient forest ecosystems that benefit rural communities. Current projects include: facilitation of several forest collaboratives; coordination of a statewide, peer-learning network of forest collaboratives; and, partnering to complete planning and implementation of forest and meadow restoration projects with multiple National Forests and Lassen Volcanic National Park.

Rural Community Development: Rural Community Development focused on planning and rebuilding rural economies throughout rural forested California. We have launched a workforce training program to train workers for a new forest worker economy. This includes training a tribal workforce to advance cultural burning on forest land and ancestral tribal land recovery. We also are managing dought funding from the California Department of Water Resources for communities and collaborative groups throughout the Sierra and Northern Sacramento regions.In Addition we host a 'pathways to the profession' program called Plumas Conservation, Restoration Education in Watersheds bringing 16-18 year old youth from urban and rural areas to do natrual resource projects.

Wood Utilization :SI is developing a wood utilization campus to show how burned wood and small wood harvested as a part of forest restoration projects can be turned into high value products that will support additional forest restoration. Goals include advancing forest restoration work; creating community scale projects that put people back to work; and share lessons learned and project development with other rural communities. Latest work includes construction of a sawmill to mill burned timber and turn it into lumber for rebuilding. Through this program we are helping residents get back into homes by building homes with cross laminated timber to create homes more resistant to wildfire and offer an example of a new hardened community.