WebinarJun 18, 2026

BDO ZoneCONNECT webinar: Placer, Nevada & El Dorado Counties, California

On June 18, 2026, Ecostrat Inc. and the BDO Zone Initiative hosted the BDO ZoneCONNECT webinar, highlighting three investment-grade BDO Zone communities in California, all rated A for Woody Biomass: Placer, Nevada, and El Dorado Counties.

The webinar was moderated by Ryan Magwood, Head of Business Development for the BDO Zone Initiative, and featured the following speakers:

Karen Garner, Director of Planning and Building, El Dorado County
Greg Stanton, Principal Management Analyst, El Dorado County
Kimberly Parker, Program Manager, Economic Development Office, Nevada County
Ava Westin, Economic and Workforce Development, Placer County

The webinar underscored the regions' abundant biomass resources, robust infrastructure, shovel-ready sites, and attractive local incentives, positioning these BDO Zones as prime locations for bio-based projects seeking a reliable, long-term supply of biomass feedstock.

BDO ZoneCONNECT facilitates connections and stimulates development interest within BDO Zone communities. The series serves as a catalyst for networking, introduces new BDO Zone ratings to the market, and engages a diverse global audience of stakeholders, including investors, bio-based project developers, financiers, and community leaders.

Get a BDO Zone Rating

To view the webinar, please click below:

Summary of Presenter Remarks

Ava Westin, Economic and Workforce Development, Placer County:

“The region [Placer County] is surrounded by 2,400,000 acres of Sierra Nevada forest, one of California’s highest-risk wildfire landscapes. That’s not a liability [for a developer], that’s a very robust feedstock supply chain, and we sit at the gateway between the forest and the valley, which makes Placer County an ideal processing and distribution hub.”
“Unlike some regions, we have the infrastructure, the workforce, and the political will to make a biomass facility happen.”
“[California] Senate Bill 1383 legally mandates that green waste gets diverted. So a portion of this feedstock isn’t just available, it’s required to move.”
“This supply chain isn’t theoretical. We already have regional biomass operations running [in Placer County]. New facilities here are entering a market that has already proven it can move material, not pioneering into unknown territory.”

Kimberly Parker, Program Manager, Economic Development Office, Nevada County:

“Across key areas like feedstock availability, infrastructure, and overall readiness, Nevada County is considered a low-risk, high-potential location for bio-based industry. For companies evaluating where they want to be, it’s a very clear signal: Nevada County is a place where projects can move forward.”
“One of our biggest advantages is our resource base. Nevada County has over 600,000 acres, and a significant portion of that is forest land, much of it actively managed for [forest health and] restoration, so we already have a steady stream of woody biomass being generated.”
“The county offers proximity to Sacramento and Northern California markets while maintaining direct access to Sierra-based feedstock. Locating close to feedstock reduces transportation cost significantly, [which is] one of the largest cost drivers in biomass operations.”
“We have many multigeneration families with strong backgrounds in forestry, milling, fuels reduction, and the trades, plus a younger workforce emerging as [new biomass] opportunities develop.”

Karen Garner, Director of Planning and Building, El Dorado County:

“The BDO zone analysis identified El Dorado County as ideally positioned to launch a bioeconomy that combines our workforce development, forest restoration, fuel reduction, and biomass utilization.”
“Many uses are permitted by right in our industrial areas, meaning [a developer] won’t have to go through the discretionary permit process; you can come straight to a building permit.”

Greg Stanton, Principal Management Analyst, El Dorado County:

“Biomass facilities here don’t just make business sense, they’re a critical part of the county’s wildfire resilience strategy, supported by the [El Dorado County] board of supervisors’ strategic plan and backed by state and federal funding.”
“Our [three counties’] boards entered into a memorandum of agreement, in essence a precursor to a joint powers authority, to formalize our efforts to advance wildfire reduction, forest restoration, workforce development, and most importantly, biomass utilization projects.”

For more information on the Placer County, CA BDO Zone, click here, and for their slide deck, click here.

For more information on the Nevada County, CA BDO Zone, click here, and for their slide deck, click here.

For more information on the El Dorado County, CA BDO Zone, click here, and for their slide deck, click here.

Contact Information:

Ava Westin, Economic and Workforce Development, Placer County (avawestin@placer.ca.gov)
Kimberly Parker, Program Manager, Economic Development Office, Nevada County (kimberly.parker@nevadacountyca.gov)
Tara Stout, Principal Management Analyst, El Dorado County (Tara.Stout@edcgov.us)
Ryan Magwood, Head of Business Development, BDO Zone Initiative (ryan@ecostrat.com)

Originally published at bdozone.org.