Our Story

"Why am I paying you to haul renewable energy off my property while I'm paying the utility company to pump fossil fuels into my house?"

This question sparked the creation of SylvanCycle, an innovative marketplace designed to rethink wildfire mitigation and wood energy. Based in the Colorado Foothills town of Evergreen, we were born out of a personal need to reduce wildfire risk around our family home. Like many homeowners in fire-prone areas, we recognized the growing importance of fire mitigation in the face of climate change and changing home insurance requirements.

In conversation with a local fire mitigation provider, we learned that a significant portion of fire mitigation costs comes from hauling cut wood away for disposal. This raised an intriguing possibility: what if we could reduce these costs and at the same time streamline the fractured market for firewood, an underutilized source of renewable energy?

SylvanCycle is our answer to this challenge. We aim to make fire mitigation more affordable while encouraging the use of wood as a sustainable heating option.

Our mission is twofold:

1. Mitigate wildfire risk across the American West by improving the economics of fire mitigation.

2. Combat global warming by promoting wood as a renewable heat source, providing an economic alternative to fossil fuels.

Who We Serve

We are building a marketplace that connects:

1. Homeowners: Those needing to mitigate wildfire risk and/or secure a local, renewable energy source like firewood.

2. Fire Mitigation Providers: Professionals tasked with cutting and transporting wood, who benefit from a streamlined process for offloading the materials.

3. Wood Processors: Individuals and businesses that process, age, split, and deliver wood for firewood use. In some cases, consumers may opt to pick up firewood directly from mitigation sites, reducing both costs and environmental impact.

Our Values

At SylvanCycle, we're driven by a commitment to:

Community Impact: We're not here to disrupt or replace; we're here to collaborate and create value for everyone involved—homeowners, fire mitigation professionals, and wood processors alike.

Customer Focus: Feedback is at the heart of what we do. We listen and evolve SylvanCycle based on the needs of our users, ensuring we deliver on our mission.

Trust: Building trust within the community is vital. Our marketplace creates a reliable, transparent environment for both wood producers and consumers.

What We Offer

Our platform connects many wood producers with many wood consumers, solving the complex logistical challenge of moving renewable resources like firewood from forests to homes. Like other successful marketplaces (think eBay or Etsy), we foster innovation and create efficiency by bridging the gap between supply and demand, in a trusted, community-driven way.

Coverage Area: Starting Local, Growing with Care

SylvanCycle is currently in its pilot phase, serving a limited area around Evergreen, CO. This is because our platform requires some manual support behind the scenes, and we want to ensure everything runs smoothly before expanding. By focusing locally, we can provide better service and gather feedback to refine the experience. As we learn more from the pilot, we plan to invest in website features that will allow it to support a much larger coverage area in the future.