Jonathan Kusel

Executive Director
Sierra Institute

Jonathan Kusel

Executive Director, Sierra Institute

Dr. Jonathan Kusel founded Sierra Institute for Community and Environment in 1993 and directs the organization today. He received a Ph.D. in Natural Resource Sociology and Policy from U.C. Berkeley, where he taught before launching the Sierra Institute in the northern Sierra. He holds a Master's degree in Forest Science from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

Dr. Kusel has been working to help rural communities thrive by bringing people and ideas together to improve socioeconomic conditions and natural resource management. In 2018, Dr. Kusel led a team that built a small biomass-powered energy facility for Plumas County's Health and Human Services Center. The facility is housed in the first full cross laminated timber (CLT) building constructed in California. Following the Dixie Fire, Dr. Kusel and partners designed and built three fire-resistant mass timber homes to demonstrate the capability, financial viability and beauty of single-family CLT homes. Sierra Institute is currently working to launch the first community scale CLT production facility in California.

Have any questions about the Summit?

We are building a bridge between the Swedish and Californian Forest sectors and inspiring a dialogue with the potential to influence the future direction of forestry.

Our goal is to stimulate a dialogue between major forestry sectors across the Atlantic, encouraging the exchange of both new and existing innovations.

Forest Innovation Summit

Creating a dialogue between Swedish and Californian forestry sectors in light of the creation of new technologies for crisis management, as seen from environmental, social, and political outfits.