Free two-day forest entrepreneurship bootcamp in South Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Sierra Business Council, in partnership with Sierra Commons and the Sierra SBDC, is hosting a free two-day forest business workshop on June 7-8 at the South Lake Tahoe Parks & Rec Center. This training is designed to help aspiring entrepreneurs launch and grow successful forest-based businesses, equipping them with the knowledge and tools needed to navigate this expanding industry.

The Intro to Forest Entrepreneurship Bootcamp is designed for those who are interested in starting or expanding a business in:

• forest thinning and management
• defensible space
• prescribed fire application
• small mass timber product manufacturing
• small diameter timber utilization
• biofuel
• bioenergy
• home hardening
• plant restoration
• other non-timber-related businesses and/or forestry logistics. 

Expert Guidance & Networking Opportunities

Industry experts in forestry, business, marketing and finance, startups, and more will share their knowledge and experience. A Friday night social will kick off the event and allow participants to network with like-minded entrepreneurs.

Last year’s Forest Entrepreneur Training sessions—held in Nevada City, Mammoth Lakes, Sonora, Auburn, and online—left a lasting impression on participants. One graduate, Stephanie Williams, is putting what she learned to work by helping bring a 5-megawatt biomass-to-energy power plant to life in the rural community of Camptonville in Northern California. “Now that the plant is moving forward, I can focus on using the tools and resources I gained through the training to develop our business campus,” Williams said. The program has also sparked new collaborations, as graduates continue to connect and partner on their forest-based ventures.

About the Forest Entrepreneurship Bootcamp

Robert X Trent, the founder of Nevada City’s nonprofit business incubator Sierra Commons and an experienced business consultant, will co-facilitate the training with Ruby Beauchamp, who works as both a Forestry Fellow at Sierra Nevada Alliance and as the Reforestation Pipeline Partnership Coordinator for American Forests. Beauchamp is also a successful forest entrepreneur working in cone collection and reforestation across California.

“This is an exciting time for forest entrepreneurship,” said Trent. “The industry is growing rapidly, with opportunities that support both economic and environmental resilience. This training provides everything an entrepreneur needs to know to start or expand a forest business.”

Beauchamp concurs. She is enthusiastic about helping entrepreneurs take advantage of business opportunities and give back to their communities at the same time. “This is a really exciting time to be a part of forestry,” said Beauchamp. “There’s a lot of momentum building around sustainable natural resource management, community preparedness for wildfire, habitat restoration, and the re-use of forest bi-products for energy. It’s powering a whole new era of land stewardship that symbiotically connects local businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies. This work is not going away any time soon. Not only does this training introduce folks to opportunities in forestry, it gives them tools to be in business for the long-term.”

In addition to learning the basic foundations of a good forest business in the bootcamp, students will also have access to an accountability group and one-to-one advising at no cost through the Small Business Development Center (SBDC).

The curriculum is designed to provide:

• Technical training to launch a broad range of forest and wood-based businesses
• Business development strategies, including pricing, cash flow management, insurance, marketing, and navigating government contracts and permits
• Guidance for transforming businesses from individual ownership to cooperative businesses that support economic justice 
• Opportunities to showcase emerging business opportunities in wood product development and outdoor recreation that have co-benefits of wildfire reduction and economic development
• A nexus to existing markets and identified needs such as forest thinning and management, application of prescribed fire, small mass timber product manufacturing, small diameter timber utilization, biofuels manufacture, logistics and support

This program is administered by Sierra Business Council, and funded by a Good Jobs Challenge EDA-funded grant through the Foundation for California Community Colleges to conduct forestry and fire mitigation training programs throughout California.

Pre-registration is required and space is limited.

Learn more and register at https://bit.ly/4jYsOWs.