Tuolumne Biomass Creates New Jobs And Products At Plant Near Jamestown
View VideoJamestown, CA — A new biomass plant has been operating since October on O’Byrnes Ferry Road near the Sierra Conservation Center.
Tuolumne Biomass leases 17 acres from T-5 Ranches that that is surrounded by a solar farm and cattle grazing. Tuolumne Biomass is owned by Heartwood Biomass which now has 25 team members at its original plant/home base in Wallowa County, Oregon and 10 at the new location in Tuolumne County.
Company leaders, including CEO David Schmidt, Sales Director Matt King, and General Manager Rose Day, provided a tour this week that was attended by several logging industry leaders, representatives from environmental groups, and local business organizations. Andrew Haden, representing Wisewood, was also there to discuss the plant’s combined heat and power system.
CEO Schmidt noted that they work to remove biomass from the forest floors, with help from loggers, who bring in smaller logs and supply to create products that many of the larger wood products companies would not be able to utilize. It helps restore forest resiliency and reduce the size of brush piles. The end products created onsite include bundled firewood, peeled agricultural poles, wood straw, biochar, and wood chips.
Sales Director King stated that the facility will process about 30,000 tons of biomass, annually. He added that some of the products, like firewood, are being sold at local supermarkets, like SaveMart, at gas stations, and at regional parks (for campfires).
Click here to view some of the comments from David Schmidt explaining the operations. Click on the view photos tab above to see 15 pictures of the site.
The $14-plus million project had been in the works for several years and was funded by a mix of private equity and state and federal loans/grants. It included a $4.2 million grant from the HUD National Resilience Program, a $3.5 million grant from the same HUD program, a $2-million HUD Residual Receipts Loan, a $2 million CAL Fire Workforce Development Grant, an $800,000 US Forest Service Community Wood Grant, a $600,000 RCAC/EDA Revolving Small Business Loan, and $1.5 million in private equity.
Mother Lode Job Training and its Central Sierra Economic Development District were also actively involved throughout the stages of the process.
In July 2020, MLJT contracted with Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) to oversee compliance documentation for Section 3 and Public Benefit requirements related to biomass projects funded by the Biomass Utilization Fund (BUF), a program managed by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to finance new or expanding businesses in Tuolumne County that utilize forest biomass, promoting forest resilience and economic development. As projects were reviewed, MLJT engaged with Heartwood in the pre-construction phase to address hiring needs and ensure contractors met workforce compliance requirements. MLJT also collaborated to help host a hiring event this past August. In addition, Rose Day, General Manager, joined the Mother Lode Workforce Development Board in January 2025, helping shape workforce initiatives in the region.
