Yreka, California, (population 7,605) is the site of a feasibility study looking at building a nanocellulose production facility. It’s a town surrounded by forests but hit hard by mill closings over the past 25 years.

The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper recently published a story that highlights the local perspective of being involved in the study and what a production facility could mean for jobs, economics, and forest health in this rural Northern California area.

Local officials are enthusiastic about the possibilities. “They are interested in being a little bit more of a part of the future than of the past,” said Forest Products Laboratory supervisory research chemist Alan Rudie. Dr. Rudie is part of a team working on the study.

Everyone involved is eager to see what the future holds.