Project goals will be to increase wood product utilization and efficiency by adding an automated firewood processor capable of processing large rounds with a single pass to the existing processing line

The Department of Agriculture Forest Service R5-Pacific Southwest Region awarded $232,000 to California Hotwood, Inc., on September 9, 2025, under the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act Financial Assistance to Facilities that Purchase and Process Byproducts for Ecosystem Restoration program (CFDA 10.725).

California Hotwood, Inc., a wood products manufacturer based in Lodi, California, will add an automated firewood processor to its existing processing line capable of handling large rounds in a single pass. The equipment upgrade will increase daily processing capacity from 25 cords to 32 cords per day and raise annual forestry utilization from approximately 6,250 cords (13,400 tons) to 8,000 cords (17,200 tons) annually—a net gain of 3,800 tons per year, with approximately 3,300 tons derived from federal lands. The project will simultaneously create safer, higher-retention operator positions while eliminating manual re-splitting jobs that are laborious and high-turnover. Work is performed in California, with an ultimate completion date of February 11, 2026.

This will increase current daily processing average from 25 cords per day to 32 per day, and increase current expected annual forestry utilization from approximately 6,250 cords (13,400 tons) to 8,000 cords (17,200) per year. This will be an increase of 3,800 tons, which would equate to about 3,300 tons from federal lands. In addition, create a new, safer and more desirable operator-type position on the processing line while eliminating more laborious and dangerous, high-turnover manual RE-splitting jobs.