What is Sierra ForestWorks?
Sierra ForestWorks is an unprecedented regional partnership focused on forest restoration, wildfire resilience, and sustainable workforce development in California’s Central Sierra region. It unites education, industry, government, philanthropy, and community partners to build a workforce pipeline specifically targeted at forest health and wildfire mitigation.
What problem does Sierra ForestWorks solve?
California’s wildfire and forest resilience goals are currently limited by a severe shortage of trained professionals. The forestry workforce is aging and declining, and there is a lack of credentialed training available in rural regions. Without a dedicated workforce, state climate investments risk becoming temporary expenditures rather than long-term resilience strategies.
Who are the partners involved?
This initiative features a rare level of cross-sector collaboration. Key partners include the U.S. Forest Service, CalFire, the Association of California Loggers, Columbia College, Sonora Union High School District, Tuolumne County Superintendent of Schools, Sierra Pacific Industries, and several other regional workforce and community organizations. It also builds on a Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. Forest Service and the American Loggers Council.
What does the training program look like?
The program is built around a “Seamless Pathway” that guides students from High School, to Community College, and directly into Industry Training and Jobs. It offers a Central Sierra Heavy Equipment Operator, Logging Operator, and Forest Maintenance CTE Pathway and Certification Program. The core focus areas of the training are:
Where does the hands-on training happen?
Training progresses from classroom and simulator instruction to job-ready field experience. It utilizes Wildcat Ranch as a primary hub for CTE training, along with a dedicated forest campus for advanced, rugged-terrain operations located in the Beardsley/Dry Meadow area (about 20 miles northwest of Strawberry) on land dedicated by the U.S. Forest Service.
Who can participate in the program?
The certification program is designed to support stackable, industry-recognized credentials and serves both youth and adult learners.
What is the long-term impact of this project?
Sierra ForestWorks is built for long-term sustainability, focusing on both Economic Resilience and Environmental Stewardship. Economically, it keeps high-wage, high-demand, non-automatable jobs in rural California communities. Environmentally, it builds the local capacity needed to maintain forest health and mitigate wildfires for decades. The project is also designed to be a replicable model that aligns sustained state investments, like Proposition 4, with industry and education.
Who can I contact for more information?
You can reach out to Gretchen Birtwhistle, Sonora Union High School District CTE
