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Restore. Revitalize. Reinvest.
Economic Development
Forest Resiliency Initiative
Building Wildfire and Forest Resiliency and Spurring Economic Opportunity in Rural Communities
GSFA, in partnership with affiliate Golden State Natural Resources (GSNR), has proposed a Forest Resiliency Demonstration Project to sustainably procure and process excess biomass from forest health initiatives into wood chips for use in sustainable fuels production and alternative wood products.
The proposed project includes development of two processing facilities in rural California from which the finished wood chips would be transported domestically by rail to downstream users and emerging market hubs in California and adjacent areas.
Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR)
The 90-day public review period for the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the proposed Golden State Natural Resources Forest Resiliency Demonstration Project has officially ended.
The proposed project is currently in the environmental review process under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to ensure any and all potential impacts are identified, comprehensively evaluated, and mitigated to the fullest extent feasible. A significant step in this process is the public review and comment upon the DEIR.
The DEIR was released on October 22, 2024 for an original 60-day review period. Following public input, GSFA approved an additional extension of the review period to January 20, 2025, beyond the usual CEQA maximum, to allow more time for public review and comment.
Please view the original Notice of Availability (NOA)* for full details regarding the DEIR release.
*Please note the 60-day public review period displayed in the NOA was extended to a 90-day review period ending January 20, 2025.
Project Revisions
Since the close of the DEIR public review and comment period, GSNR staff have been diligently analyzing the more than 5,500 comments received.
Based on this input, and current biomass market conditions, on June 25, 2025, the GSNR Board directed staff to develop and analyze a reduced-scale project alternative that focuses on domestic rather than international usage of the sourced wood material and produces wood chips instead of wood pellets. Rather than targeting overseas energy producers, the project would explore emerging domestic demand for wood chips in California and adjacent areas that are forecasted to arise for sustainable energy applications and alternative wood products.
The full analysis of alternatives considered by the GSNR Board is available in the June Board meeting agenda packet here.
Next Steps
GSNR is currently revising the previously released DEIR to reflect these project changes and anticipates recirculating the revised report, with an updated evaluation of potential environmental impacts in early 2026. The public will have an opportunity to submit formal comments on the revised DEIR (RDEIR) during recirculation. After the recirculation, the final EIR will be presented to the GSFA Board for their review and potential certification at a public hearing that the public will be invited to attend.
Additional information and updates regarding the DEIR and RDEIR, as well as a sign up form for the GSNR mailing list, are available on the GSNR website. Questions regarding the project may be directed to .
Read the Report
- Draft Environmental Impact Report (Full Report)
View by Individual Sections/Chapters
- Table of Contents
- Executive Summary
- CH 1 - Introduction
- CH 2 - Project Description
- CH 3 - Environmental Setting, Impacts, and Mitigation Measures
- CH 3.0 - Introduction to Analyses
- CH 3.1 - Aesthetics
- CH 3.2 - Air Quality
- CH 3.3 - Biological Resources
- CH 3.4 - Cultural Resources
- CH 3.5 - Energy
- CH 3.6 - Geology and Soils
- CH 3.7 - Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- CH 3.8 - Hazards and Hazardous Materials
- CH 3.9 - Hydrology and Water Quality
- CH 3.10 - Land Use and Planning
- CH 3.11 - Noise
- CH 3.12 - Population and Housing
- CH 3.13 - Public Services
- CH 3.14 - Transportation
- CH 3.15 - Utilities and Service Systems
- CH 3.16 - Wildfire
A Critical Need for California
Today, California’s forests are experiencing longer, more intense fire seasons, extended periods of drought, invasive species, an unprecedented level of tree mortality, and the consequences of a century of unnatural fire suppression.
The result is overgrown and under-managed forests that have led to an excessive amount of fuel to burn when a fire ignites. This accumulated fire fuel presents a growing danger to life and property, and the state's natural resources1.
Forest Resiliency Project Goals
Many forest health projects are unable to succeed in removing the excess forest material because of limited outlets and uses for vegetation overgrowth. Creating a sustainable and economically viable use for generated woody biomass can directly support the revitalization of California's forests, enhance quality of life, and increase public safety.
Through the development of wood chip production facilities in rural California, the proposed GSNR forest resiliency project will also create living wage employment opportunities, aiding the economic growth and community development in underserved rural communities. Estimated new jobs created by the project are several dozen full-time jobs in Lassen and Tuolumne counties as well as multiples of that number in supply chain jobs such as trucking (at the wood chip facilities) and in-forest workers. Additional jobs will be available during facility construction at each of the project sites.
The joint endeavor is designed to benefit residents, businesses and the economies of rural California, and potentially be self-sustaining over the long-term.
- Substantially alleviate future fire danger
- Restore wildlife habitats and natural watersheds
- Create opportunities for investment and job creation that would revitalize rural economies
GSFA's Role as Lead Agency
In 2019, GSFA entered into a 20-year Master Stewardship Agreement (MSA) with the U.S. Forest Service for all 18 National Forests in Region 5 (covering much of California) to undertake forest management, restoration treatments, and fuel reduction activities. This MSA forms the backbone of the Forest Resiliency Initiative.
GSFA and its affiliates created GSNR as a nonprofit corporation to pursue the objectives of this initiative, and GSFA itself will provide ongoing oversight of GSNR's activities as the proposed project's public partner. In that capacity, GSFA is acting as the lead agency for purposes of the project's environmental review to ensure any and all potential impacts are identified, comprehensively evaluated, and mitigated to the fullest extent feasible.
The GSFA Board of Directors, made up of elected Supervisors from each of the member counties, ultimately determine whether the project proceeds, and under what conditions.
Additional Resources
1 Community Wildfire Prevention & Mitigation Report (in response to Executive Order N-05-019): 45 day plan (ca.gov)
Want to Learn More?
For more information, resources and updates on the Forest Resiliency Initiative visit Golden State Natural Resources.
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