Events
Free Forest Entrepreneurship Bootcamp Nov. 7–8 at Sierra College
Sierra Commons and the Sierra Business Council are hosting a tuition-free, two-day Forest Entrepreneurship Bootcamp on November 7–8 at Sierra College's Rocklin campus for people launching or growing forest and wildfire-resilience businesses. YWI Executive Director Chris Friedel will present as part of the class.
Sierra Commons and the Sierra Business Council are hosting the next Intro to Forest Entrepreneurship Bootcamp on Saturday and Sunday, November 7–8, 2026, at the Sierra College Rocklin Campus. The two-day bootcamp is tuition-free for accepted applicants, and YWI Executive Director Chris Friedel will be presenting as part of the class.
The bootcamp is built for people who want to launch or grow a business in the Sierra Nevada forest economy — the contractors, makers, and innovators whose work turns forest health and wildfire resilience goals into acres on the ground and products from the wood that comes off them.
Who it's for
The curriculum is tailored to land-based and wood-based businesses, including:
- Forest thinning and management, defensible space, and home hardening
- Prescribed fire
- Timber product manufacturing and small-diameter timber utilization
- Biomass, biofuel, and bioenergy
- Plant restoration and forestry logistics
What you'll learn
- Business fundamentals: finance, pricing, cash flow, research, marketing, and sales
- Government contracts and permits: how to find and compete for public work in the forest and fuels sector
- Ongoing support: a weekly accountability group, one-to-one advising, and free post-bootcamp technical assistance through the Sierra Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
The course is led by Sierra Commons founder Robert Trent, with guest presenters from across the regional forest economy.
Why YWI is part of it
Much of YWI's work — from community fuel breaks on Round Mountain and the South Yuba Rim to forest health work in the Inimim Forest — depends on a strong local base of qualified contractors and on markets for the material that comes out of the woods. When local forest businesses are better equipped to bid on public contracts, manage cash flow across a project, and grow their crews, more of that work gets done, and more of the money stays in our communities. Chris will share what YWI looks for when hiring contractors and how projects like ours are funded and put out to bid.
How to apply
Tuition is free for accepted applicants. Learn more and register at sierracommons.org/forest-entrepreneurship. Questions can go to Sierra Commons at info@sierracommons.org or 530-265-8443.
The Forest Entrepreneurship Bootcamp is funded by a Good Jobs Challenge EDA grant administered through the Foundation for California Community Colleges.
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