A Biochar Project

Sometimes something old becomes something new. For example, most people are familiar with charcoal, having used it to grill a summer meal. However, biochar, charcoal’s twin, is new to a lot of folks.

Biochar is a carbon-rich soil amendment created by burning wood waste with special equipment at relatively low temperatures. Increases in wood waste —down trees, logs, branches— from fire hazard reduction projects can become something new when turned into biochar.

Resource specialists on the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests wanted to see the process in action to learn more. They recently partnered with the Rocky Mountain Research Station to host a field demonstration of mobile equipment for making biochar out of poor-quality wood waste that could not be sold. The Research Station brought an air curtain incinerator to the forest. The Forest Service and Trout Unlimited will use this biochar to help restore a former mine under a Bipartisan Infrastructure Law-funded proposal.

Wood waste left from timber or fuel reduction projects, known as slash, is typically piled and burned under favorable conditions. This practice reduces excess fuels that can otherwise feed wildland fires but can also generate smoke and burn scars that impact soil productivity and allow weeds to invade.

Over two days, partners from a local university, Colorado State Forests and private individuals, as well as local Forest Service leaders and staff were invited to participate, observe and ask questions. For this demonstration, equipment operators set up the mobile biochar unit while local staff operated additional equipment needed to load slash into the incinerator unit. Researchers explained the biochar production and answered questions about the scientific, technological and economic aspects of making biochar and how it can be used.

The group then traveled to the Forest Hill mine site where Trout Unlimited talked about how biochar will aid in the reclamation process. Monitoring plots had been installed to measure responses to various combinations of fertilizers and biochar. Additional research on using biochar for mine reclamation is also underway.

The utilization of by-products from timber and fuel management activities is an ongoing challenge across the Forest Service. “The conversion of slash by-products into a soil amendment that can promote water storage is one of the main advantages that biochar provides,” said Gina Rone, forest soil scientist. “With water being one of the main limiting resources as changes in climate become more challenging, it is important to explore all tools and technologies to conserve water as we manage our public lands.”

Biochar itself is an up-and-coming climate solution. In standard slash pile burning, 92 to 94 percent of the stored carbon is turned into carbon dioxide – a significant contributor to climate change. Depending on the method of biochar creation, only 50 percent of the stored carbon is turned into carbon dioxide. And when biochar is applied to the soil, it can ultimately be carbon negative compared to burning or natural biomass decomposition, because of its greater stability and high carbon content —Rocky Mountain Research Station 2023.

“This demonstration allowed observers to experience first-hand what it would take to produce biochar in the field. It gave us the opportunity to test current technology aimed at reducing the by-products of timber harvest and fuel reduction while also producing a useful soil amendment,” said Rone.

Creating biochar is not out of reach for individuals, groups and agencies, though there are some challenges. This demonstration required collaborating with multiple entities. Obtaining the necessary air and smoke permits required navigating a maze of regulations that differ from state to state. Heavy equipment was needed to load slash into the burn chamber and sufficient water was needed to quench flames and cool the biochar. Nonetheless, there are many opportunities and descriptions of how to make low cost biochar, even in a space as small as a person’s backyard.

As Rone put it, “Biochar has been a passion of mine for about a decade. As a soil scientist, I greatly value the benefits that biochar offers – most of all recycling wood waste and putting it back into the soil instead of turning it into smoke. In a world where climate change is challenging us to find different ways of doing business, it is our duty to find alternatives.”

To improve soil, reduce wood waste and greenhouse gasses, Rone and other Forest Service employees hope others will follow the adage: Take something “old” – charcoal, turn it into something “new” – biochar, and rather than turn wood waste into smoke, borrow this technique to create biochar to help keep their blue skies blue.