Forest Futures
14.27%
Projected demand increase of cross-laminated timber (CLT) from 2025-2033*
32%
Rise in California homeowner insurance premiums from 2018-2022 due to wildfire **
40%
Increased survival rate for homes with key fire-resistant features***
Fire Proofing: From Retrofitting Homes to Winning Back Fire Insurance
Wildfire resilience and housing stability are deeply connected in forested communities. Our recent Lunch and Learn explored practical and systems-level strategies to protect homes, neighborhoods, and affordability in fire-prone regions like ours.
Topics and speakers included:
- Achievable Home Hardening Techniques for Existing Homes: “Zone Zero” and retrofitting older homes – Eric Horntvedt, Wildfire Prevention Manager, Truckee Fire Protection District
- Fire-Resistant Housing: Rural job creation and ecological thinking through Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) – Dr. Jonathan Kusel, Executive Director, Sierra Institute for Communities and Environment
- The Insurance Gap: Outlining how new data-driven models can better align premiums with real mitigation efforts – Ryan Valdez, Managing Director, Rock Rose Risk
As responsible neighbors, institutions, and communities, we can take many actions to ensure the safety and longevity of our homes and beloved forests. To see what you can do for our Forest Futures, watch the Lunch and Learn.
TTCF Salons Center and Inspire Collective Stewardship
This Winter/Spring Forest Futures Salon Series cultivated a deeper, community-wide understanding that our forests are not just a backdrop to our lives, but a central force shaping our safety, economy, and future. Each salon emphasized a different facet of resilience—together, we explored reframing fire as a necessary ecological tool, unlocking the potential of forest byproducts for sustainable energy and architecture, or highlighting workforce development as an essential component of forest infrastructure.
Most importantly, the salons served as a catalyst: seeding collaboration, inspiring action, and demonstrating what becomes possible when innovation is rooted in place. Local government, Tribal leaders, entrepreneurs, educators, and neighbors came together to share stories, challenges, and solutions—proving that meaningful change is possible and already underway. Miss the salons? Read all about them.
Grantee Highlight
Insights from Watch Duty
Watch Duty, a nonprofit wildfire-tracking alert platform, keeps you safe from wildfires when seconds count. Watch Duty is also a TTCF grantee. Recently, Watch Duty COO Nick Russell spoke at a Forest Futures event. He shared how this innovative tool transforms wildfire awareness and public safety, and how he anticipates growing and expanding its impact. Join us in supporting forward-thinking Forest Futures solutions like this.
To learn more about our community impact and how you can partner with us to make a difference, contact Stacy Caldwell at stacy@ttcf.net.
*IMARC (International Market Analysis Research and Consulting Group)
**Annual Report of the Federal Insurance Office on the Insurance Market, January 2025, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Federal Insurance Office (FIO)
*** “Home Survival in Wildfire-Prone Areas: Building Materials and Design Considerations” published by National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) Digest