After screening dozens of potential wood utilization pathways down to our most promising concepts, we commissioned a comprehensive Feasibility Study to run the numbers. Prepared by The Beck Group, this deep dive evaluates the exact capital requirements, financial returns, log supplies, and operational logistics needed to bring three core facilities to life on our 100-acre campus near Camptonville.
Rather than viewing forest restoration wood as a low-value waste stream, this study establishes a highest-and-best-use sorting hierarchy. By sorting incoming logs by size and quality, each tree harvested from local restoration projects is matched with its most valuable market application.
The Financial & Operational Breakdown
1. Specialty Sawmill (Campus Anchor)
Designed as the core industrial anchor for the FBBC campus, this flexible mill will process small-to-medium sawlogs (Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, and white fir) into regional dimension lumber and timbers.
Capital Needed: $41.3 million
Annual Output: ~35.5 MMBF of lumber
Economics: $20.85M annual revenue / $3.09M annual EBITDA
Community Impact: 55 direct local jobs (52 hourly, 3 salaried)
Campus Integration: Generates valuable wood byproducts (chips, bark, sawdust) to feed neighboring clean energy or biomass tenants.
2. Commercial Firewood Operation
A lower-cost, lower-risk startup concept that targets two distinct markets using low-grade logs and hardwoods: bundled softwood firewood for retail and recreational buyers, and bulk California black oak for local residential heating.
Capital Needed: $2.79 million
Annual Output: 534,000 retail bundles + 1,100 bulk cords
Economics: $2.32M annual revenue / $409,000 net annual cash flow (7-year payback)
Community Impact: ~11.5 full-time jobs
3. Post-and-Pole Facility
Converts small-diameter white fir and ponderosa pine stems—material usually deemed worthless by traditional mills—into doweled posts, poles, and vineyard stakes for California’s agricultural sector.
Capital Needed: $2.07 million (including $300k startup working capital)
Annual Output: 9,000 green tons of doweled products
Economics: $2.13M annual revenue / $382,000 net annual cash flow (18% ROI, 5.4-year payback)
Community Impact: 7 direct jobs
Shared Synergies & Phased Growth
Co-locating these facilities creates powerful site-wide efficiencies. Shared infrastructure—like truck scales, log yard equipment, access roads, and fire protection—lowers startup costs across the board. In addition, waste from one process fuels another: rejected post stems become firewood, and sawmill residues can power future thermal energy systems.
Because firewood and post-and-pole facilities require lower upfront capital, they serve as ideal Phase 1 quick-starts to establish campus operations while operator recruitment, grant funding, and site engineering advance for the larger specialty mill.