Lumbercycle’s primary mission is to divert woody biomass from landfills by milling fallen trees into lumber and reinvesting it back into our communities. The vision is to create zero waste utilization of trees. Lumber is first on the list for woody biomass utilization. Too many decent logs for lumber are wasted in the overproduction of mulch and firewood. With off cuts, sawdust, small logs and branches, you can also produce mulch, firewood, biochar, animal bedding, and so much more. There is enough in a single tree to go around for every intention. Setting up a priority list ensures that the value of a tree’s afterlife is optimized.

In order to completely fulfill its mission, Lumbercycle has established a Forest Resiliency Program covering all the activities within Lumbercycle that pertain to the planting and maintenance of trees. The focus is on proper selection, placement, planting, and maintenance of trees to provide maximum benefits to humans and their environment. The strategy is to employ best practices to create resilient forests in the face of changing conditions such as climate change and development/gray infrastructure. Since the vast majority of work is in urban settings, the program also includes community outreach, involvement, education, skills training, and economic development to increase job opportunities.

While we reach out to all types of community members, we’re particularly interested in programs that educate and involve youth. The future is with them. In its short life-span Lumbercycle has already engaged in a number of projects, large and small. Its largest, a $767,000 CALFIRE-funded biomass utilization grant, supports re-purposing of trees, tree planting, and educational activities. This large grant is indicative of the importance of Lumbercycle’s mission to the state as well as the state’s confidence in this organization. Lumbercycle intends to evolve itself as a social enterprise model. That means not only donating its products and services to worthy people and causes but also selling its products in the open marketplace. It also entails reinvesting some of its profits back into the community so it can expand the number of services and benefits offered to under-served populations.