The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has announced the award of $10 million in grant funding to 17 projects designed to strengthen California’s forest-sector workforce, reduce wildfire risks, restore forests, and expand the beneficial use of woody biomass.
The awards are part of CAL FIRE’s Business and Workforce Development Grants, which back innovative solutions advancing forest health, wildfire resilience, and rural economic growth. Funded through California Climate Investments, the initiative targets projects that lower greenhouse gas emissions while expanding the state’s capacity to manage natural resources and counter catastrophic wildfire threats.
“The strength of this year’s awards is the diversity of projects they support, from training the next generation of forestry and fire professionals to expanding businesses and facilities that put forest restoration materials to productive use,” said CAL FIRE Assistant Chief and Wood Products and Bioenergy Team Program Manager John McCarthy.
“Together, these investments build California’s capacity to manage forests, reduce wildfire risk and strengthen rural economies.”
Grant allocations will back initiatives across the state focused on several key priorities:
Expanding Wildfire Risk Reduction: Investing in new forestry and mastication equipment to accelerate the pace and scale of hazardous fuels reduction and forest health treatments.
Increasing Forest Material Utilization: Supporting sawmill modernization, biomass processing, local firewood production, and the redevelopment of a former mill site in neighboring Siskiyou County.
Workforce Development: Connecting educators and students to forestry careers through classroom pathways and hands-on forestry and fire operations.
Prescribed Fire Expansion: Delivering practical field experience and state certifications to hundreds of workers, including training the next generation of California Certified Prescribed-Fire Burn Bosses.
Tribal and Regional Collaboration: Bolstering tribal and local resource advisor capacity with dedicated programs focused on watershed restoration, forest resilience, and land stewardship.
Combined, the 17 selected projects aim to open career pathways, prepare hundreds of skilled laborers, and strengthen markets for wood and biomass derived from fuels reduction projects. Among the funded efforts, one program alone is slated to train 650 workers and award over 2,400 industry certifications, while another will deliver more than 15,000 training hours alongside 400 certifications.
Over the past five years, CAL FIRE’s Business and Workforce Development Grants program has directed $129 million across 131 projects statewide. These ongoing investments directly align with California’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan, reinforcing efforts to scale up beneficial fire, safeguard communities, create family-wage rural jobs, and productively utilize timber byproducts.
