New projects support fire-resistant construction and forest management

California has a wildfire problem. But new solutions for wildfire mitigation and resilience are

 making our forests healthier, our buildings stronger, and our communities safer. That has me fired up.

California’s forests are dangerously overgrown, which is one significant factor feeding megafires. Thinning our forests is essential, but it generates massive amounts of small-diameter wood which has historically been hard to use. One new solution from the Sierra Institute for Community and Environment, located in Plumas County, is changing that. They just launched Mosaic Timber in Crescent Mills, California’s first Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) facility, which will start turning that wood into building panels for California homes within the next year. 

Here’s where their solution really gets hot. CLT panels are made by stacking and compressing layers of wood at alternating angles, making them exceptionally strong and fire-resistant without relying on toxic chemical fire retardants. They also sequester carbon within the structure of the building, which means every home built with CLT is actively fighting climate change. The wood that once fed wildfires is now helping stop them. That’s finally seeing the forest from the trees.

As Chair of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water, I’m focused on moving California from reacting to wildfires to preparing for them. Last year, I authored SB 254, which included provisions to streamline wildfire mitigation and cut the red tape that slows down critical work like forest thinning. 

This year, I’m working with other legislators on the Joint Megafire Prevention Package, the most comprehensive set of wildfire prevention bills in California’s history. My own two contributions are now moving through the Assembly after passing the Senate: SB 973 directs CAL FIRE to help countries assess their wildfire risk and prioritize where to act, and SB 911 makes sure homebuyers know whether a home meets wildfire safety standards, encouraging home hardening through materials like CLT.

When forest management, community preparedness, and fire-resistant construction work hand-in-hand, the path forward starts looking a lot clearer. California is finding its way out of the woods!