Sierra Institute For Community And

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.

Developing Young Stewards and a pathways to the profession youth program: Sierra Institute takes a three prong approach to developing stewardship ethic among local and urban youth including recreation, environmental education, and career development. One example is: P-CREW is a mix of rural and urban high school students who participate in a five week restoration projects in the Feather River Watershed during the summer.

Sierra Institute launched Indian Valley Strong to support residents and businesses displaced by the Dixie Fire. Sierra Institute provided short-term food, gas, clothing and similar assistance, along with longer-term assistance focused on helping get residents 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.