Forest Futures: Building Resilience from the Forest Floor Up, Part 2 – Powering Communities with Local Wood Innovation

Tags: Biomass, Building Resilience from the Forest Floor Up Series, Climate Smart Solutions, Economic Opportunity, Fire Resilience, Forest Futures, Forest Restoration, Local Collaboration, Northstar Energy Facility, Regenerative Economy, Renewable Energy, Sustainable Energy, Tahoe Truckee, Wood Innovation

Tahoe Truckee’s greatest vulnerability—overcrowded, fire-prone forests—also holds the key to our future resilience. Through local innovation, collaboration, and sustainable design, we can transform forest byproducts into renewable energy, fire-resilient housing, and economic opportunity. This three-part blog series, drawn from our Forest Futures Salon Series, spotlights the people and projects building a regenerative Sierra economy.

Powering Communities with Local Wood Innovation

When it comes to building a regenerative economy in the Sierra, sometimes the solutions are right under our feet—literally.

At the Forest Futures Salon “Wood Innovations: Building a Regenerative Sierra Economy through Forest Restoration,” Mike Geary, General Manager of Northstar Community Services District (NCSD), shared an exciting local project that turns forest byproducts into sustainable energy: the Northstar Wood Energy Facility.

This new facility will replace natural gas heating across Northstar Village by using locally sourced biomass. It’s a powerful example of a win-win solution: thinning forests to reduce wildfire fuel while producing clean, renewable energy for local homes and businesses.

Using state-of-the-art ceramic filtration technology, the facility will minimize pollution compared to open burn piles or wildfires. Even better, leftover ash from the burned biomass will be distributed to local farms, enhancing soil fertility rather than creating waste.

Construction on the facility, supported by a 2024 Forest Futures grant from TTCF, begins this summer and is expected to be completed by 2026. During low-demand summer months, the facility will also convert wood into electricity, providing year-round renewable energy.

Geary also noted that NCSD is working closely with other partners through the North Tahoe Biomass Task Force to ensure that projects like this can be expanded across the region, providing both ecological and economic benefits.

By investing in local, climate-smart solutions, we can move away from extractive energy systems and toward community-powered resilience.

Next in the Forest Futures Series:
Join us May 22, 2025 – Working in the Woods: Jobs in Forests, Fires, and Wood Innovations

Restoring health to Sierra forests is a big job. This salon highlights what kinds of careers are available in a growing forest economy – from fire mitigation to forestry to making wood and biomass into innovative products.

Our speakers discuss not only emerging career pathways, but also what forest-based work could mean for a diversified and resilient local economy. For those looking to call the forest their office, those interested in supporting the workforce of tomorrow, or those who want to explore economic pathways towards a stronger Tahoe Truckee – join us in a conversation about win-win solutions for local jobs and our forests.  [Register here ➝]