USFS Invests Nearly $8 Million in Wood Innovation Grants in California

July 17, 2025 – The U.S. Forest Service announced awarding $80 million in Wood Innovations and Wood Product Infrastructure Grants to spur wood products manufacturing, expand active forest management, and accelerate energy innovation. Of these investments, nearly $8 million will go to 16 projects in California. A list of California awardees is below:

Wood Product Infrastructure Assistance Grant Program:

• Alpenglow Timber, LLC – $906,492: Establishes sawmill operations to support reduced wildfire risk and active forest management on National Forests and tribal forestlands in California and Nevada. 
• California Hotwood, Inc. – $232,000: Upgrades firewood processing capacity to support reduced wildfire risk and active forest management on National Forests in California. 
• Fall River Resource Conservation District – $252,642: Upgrades and modernization of biomass power facility operations to support reduced wildfire risk and active forest management on National Forests in California. 
• Franklin Logging, Inc. – $907,568: Upgrades to lumber drying operations at sawmill to support reduced wildfire risk and active forest management on National Forests in California. 
• Green Diamond Resource Company – $337,500: Establishes a stationary chipping facility to utilize small diameter and low value species in support of wildfire risk reduction and active forest management on National Forests in California. 
• Lignum Support, LLC – $1,000,000: Upgrades and expansion of forest residues chipping operations for biomass energy to expand the utilization of forest residues and reduce wildfire risk and support active forest management on National Forests in California. 
• Pacific Ultrapower Chinese Station – $960,000: Improves operational efficiencies at biomass power plant to support reduced wildfire risk and active forest management on National Forests in California. 
• Tuolumne Biomass, LLC – $999,131: Upgrades small log processing operation to expand markets for small diameter and lower value species and support reduced wildfire risk and active forest management on National Forests in California.
  

Wood Innovations Grant Program:

• American Wood Fibers, Inc. – $300,000: Installs wood pellet mill to increase low-value wood utilization while supporting active forest management in California. 
• DTE Materials Inc. – $300,000: Advances the production of wood concrete aggregates to improve utilization of low-value biomass and support active forest management. 
• Enfilade Partners – $300,000: Designs and engineers a mass timber affordable housing project to accelerate the adoption of domestic mass timber thereby increasing active forest management and markets for small-diameter timber. 
• Falk Forestry, Inc – $299,664: Establishes sawmill and firewood production to increase timber utilization and active forest management in Northern California. 
• Fall River Resource Conservation District – $150,000: Establishes biochar production capabilities to support active forest management and wildfire risk reduction across national forests in California. 
• Happy Camp Community Action, Inc. – $300,000: Advances the development of a new wood composite product to improve utilization of low-value biomass and support active forest management. 
• Loamist, Co. – $300,000: Identifies locations for new low-value biomass markets to support active forest management and wildfire risk reduction in California.
• Sierra Institute for Community and Environment – $300,000: Installs mass timber manufacturing equipment thereby increasing active forest management across western forests.