Plumas County, California
The Plumas County, California BDO Zone for Woody Biomass is rated ‘A’.
Rating Issue Date: May 21, 2026.
‘A’ ratings denote high prospective viability of Feedstock Supply and Infrastructure and low expectations of default risk in the Zone. Capacity to support new biobased plant operations is considered strong.
Plumas County, CA holds an investment-grade BDO Zone ‘A’ Rating for Forest residuals, Pulpwood. Issued in May 2026, the rating certifies approximately 255,000 bdt/yr of reliable, low-risk biomass feedstock available within a 75-mile driving distance from Taylorsville, CA.
A ‘A’ rating is an investment grade rating, signalling a reliable, low-risk feedstock supply. It signals to developers, lenders, and investors that Plumas County, CA’s feedstock supply has undergone rigorous, standardized due diligence across 100+ risk indicators, the same framework applied to every BDO Zone across North America.
Every BDO Zone Rating assesses a region across three dimensions, mapped as expanding radii around a candidate site.
- Feedstock surplus: Data indicating at least 50,000 tonnes per year of excess feedstock available to support typical intake of new biofuels manufacturing plants.
- Supply chain strength: Evidence supporting long-term commitment to supply both quantity and quality by local farmers, forestry companies, food waste generators, haulers and municipalities.
- Sound infrastructure: Suitable transportation, logistic, operating and supporting infrastructure to meet the requirements for new facility operations.
Assets & liabilities
- 255,000 bdt/year of low-risk biomass supply from pulpwood and forest residues, with roughly three times as much potentially available at higher risk.
- Annual net growth exceeds removals, indicating harvest levels within a sustainable range.
- The region already has the logging, grinding, and hauling capacity needed to support the rated quantities.
- Existing competitors primarily consume sawmill residues rather than the rated pulpwood and forest residue streams.
- Wildfires pose a significant threat to long-term feedstock continuity and operable timberland.
- Drought, temperature change, and related disturbance could reduce future productivity and access.
- Much of the timber base is publicly owned, creating exposure to policy and permitting changes.
- Steep terrain, tight roads, and seasonal restrictions can increase hauling difficulty and delivered cost.
- No direct natural gas or municipal sewer lines are present.
- Access to workforce and to housing for that workforce can present a challenge.
Infrastructure & sites
- Located at 15960 CA-89, Crescent Mills, CA 95934, about 377 ft from CA-89 (a two-lane highway).
- Rail-served site.