California Forests At Risk: Biomass Expansion Ignites Community Fire Fears

California’s massive forest-thinning plan has communities freaking out. The state wants to clear 2,640 square miles of overcrowded forests, but locals fear the 15 million tons of dead wood left behind will become wildfire fuel. Sure, research shows thinning reduces fire risk by 72%, but try explaining that to residents watching logging trucks dump biomass in their backyards. With only $10 million treating a measly 2,950 acres, the math doesn’t add up. The bureaucratic mess gets worse.

After a century of fire suppression turned California’s forests into tinderboxes, the state’s betting big on chainsaws. Golden State Natural Resources dropped a massive environmental impact report in October 2024, and it’s a doozy. They’re planning to log 2,640 square miles of forest over twenty years. That’s a mile-wide strip from Sacramento to Boston, folks.

The forests are sick. Really sick. Overcrowded trees, drought, climate change – it’s a perfect storm for mega-fires. Insects are having a field day killing stressed trees. Something’s gotta give. California and the US Forest Service want to treat a million acres annually by 2025. GSNR says their “Biomass Only Thinning Projects” will handle about 85,779 acres per year when they’re running full throttle.

Here’s where it gets interesting. Research shows thinning plus prescribed burns can cut wildfire severity by 62-72 percent. Not bad odds. But all that thinning creates a mountain of dead wood – somewhere between 5 and 15 million bone dry tons. What do you do with all that biomass? GSNR’s parent company Drax plans to turn it into wood pellets at two new mills, despite at least 52 fires at U.S. pellet facilities since 2010.

Thinning forests works, but creates millions of tons of dead wood. Now what?

The communities near these forests? They’re freaking out. More logging means more potential fire fuel lying around, at least in their minds. GSNR’s expansion project has locals worried about sparks flying. The North Coast region particularly lacks capacity to process all the woody biomass that current and future thinning operations will generate.

The bureaucratic maze is real. GSNR needs the Port of Stockton’s blessing. Then the Golden State Finance Authority gets its turn. Tuolumne and Lassen counties need to sign off too. The California Air Resources Board already gave a thumbs up, saying biomass removal is essential for ecosystem health and carbon neutrality. Geothermal energy could offer an alternative path with minimal land use compared to biomass operations.

Money’s flowing, slowly. Four forest management groups scored $10 million in state funds in 2024, treating just 2,950 acres. That’s pocket change compared to what’s needed. The Governor’s task force rolled out 25 deliverables for 2025, trying to protect communities from the next inferno.

The clock’s ticking. California’s forests can’t wait much longer. Whether this massive logging operation saves the state or adds fuel to the fire remains to be seen. Communities are watching, waiting, worrying.