Overgrown forests increase risks of catastrophic wildfire across the Tahoe region. A local wood economy turns this challenge into opportunity by connecting forest restoration with small-scale manufacturing, local entrepreneurship, and regional supply chains that keep value rooted in place.

A collaboration between the Tahoe Earth Institute, Tahoe Prosperity Center, and Berkeley Wood Lab, Tahoe Wood is a Tahoe-based initiative connecting forest restoration with a stronger local wood economy – catalyzing pathways for the trees felled in our backyards to be turned into local products. 

We are mapping regional wood supply and demand, identifying opportunities for small-scale manufacturing, supporting entrepreneurs and workforce development, and building partnerships across the forest-products supply chain. Our goal is to help more of the wood removed through forest restoration become useful local products – keeping economic value in the Tahoe region while supporting healthier forests and resilient communities.