Big box biochar: Scaled-up, in-woods biochar production

Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstrac

Biochar production and application in the Intermountain West

The Utah Biomass Resources Group (UBRG) has focused on biochar production and application since 2011. We partner with Amaron Energy of Salt Lake City and have developed mobile pyrolysis technology for in-situ biochar production. We have also initiated field trials of biochar application in mining and agricultural settings. Please click on the file below for full content of the abstract

Pinyon-Juniper Ecology and Management

This fact sheet describes pinyon-juniper ecology, expansion, and management

Flame cap kilns for hazardous fuels reduction and biochar application in the western United States

Forest managers use hazardous fuels treatments to reduce the severity and intensity of wildland fire. Forest managers commonly pile and burn forest residues, an inexpensive approach to treating hazardous fuels. Fire danger and air quality restrictions increasingly limit the ability of forest managers to burn piles of forest residue. Further, pile burning often consumes organic soils and reduces future productivity of forest stands. A novel approach to this challenge is the use of low cost flame-cap biochar kilns to reduce hazardous fuels while making biochar in forest settings from excess woody biomass. A primary benefit of this approach is accessibility; almost anyone can do it, often with materials and equipment on hand. This method allows for small-scale biochar production across a wide variety of uses and users. Instead of open pile burning of forest residues, we put the fire in a box, or a flame-cap kiln, which reduces damage to the soil and protects air quality. We apply a fraction of the biochar on-site while a portion is available for application on nearby agricultural lands. This reduces wildland fire hazard by converting forest residues into biochar, and the addition of biochar to the soil can increase the drought tolerance of remaining vegetation. The Utah Biomass Resources Group (UBRG) conducted seven hands-on kiln workshops in Utah with more than 200 attendees. We have successfully pyrolyzed five different forest feedstock types including two invasive tree species. By creating methods for biochar production that land managers can easily access, the use of biochar can grow, which may lead to increased carbon sequestration, increased soil productivity, and improved air quality. While these small-scale kilns have reduced hazardous fuels by approximately 20 semi-truck loads, the UBRG is scaling-up this approach to increase the pace and scale of hazardous fuels reduction by these methods. The UBRG recently received a Public Lands Initiative Grant to scale up this approach from kilns that measure 1.5 meters across, to kilns that are six meters across. Parallel efforts are ongoing in Oregon, Nevada, and North Dakota using a variety of kiln designs that depend on repurposed local materials; this is an important regional development in biochar production. Other important benefits of this approach include the cost reduction of feedstock preparation by avoiding the expense and energy necessary for chipping and/or grinding feedstock material. We safely deployed these kilns in close proximity to heavy fuels loads, urban infrastructure, homes, and ecologically sensitive locations such as within Stream Management Zones. Meanwhile, the UBRG is testing the efficacy of using locally produced biochars as an animal feed amendment by investigating the behavioral and physiological response of sheep when given access to biochar. Humans use activated carbon to ease ingestion and as a poisoning antidote. Biochar can enhance the efficiency of nutrient utilization, reduce environmental impacts, increase rates of detoxification, and reduce the presence of xenobiotics to promote animal health, welfare, and productivity. This research fills a knowledge gap regarding how locally produced biochars influence animal performance

Hazardous Fuels Reduction Using Flame Cap Biochar Kilns

This fact sheet describes a do-it-yourself technique for making small-batch biochar. The Utah Biomass Resources Group has demonstrated this method for reducing hazardous forest fuels, protects soils, and creates biochar using simple, low-cost materials

Maple Tapping in Utah

This fact sheet provides a brief introduction to tapping maple trees in Utah and the Intermountain West. Included is an overview of maple tree identification, weather conditions, and how to start tapping

Forest Grazing: Managing Your Land for Trees, Forage, and Livestock

This fact sheet gives an overview of the relationships between trees and forage and provides suggestions on managing your land for forest grazing

Mule Deer Impede Pando’s Recovery: Implications for Aspen Resilience from a Single-Genotype Forest

Aspen ecosystems (upland Populus-dominated forests) support diverse species assemblages in many parts of the northern hemisphere, yet are imperiled by common stressors. Extended drought, fire suppression, human development, and chronic herbivory serve to limit the sustainability of this keystone species. Here we assess conditions at a renowned quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) grove—purportedly the largest living organism on earth—with ramifications for aspen biogeography globally. The “Pando” clone is 43 ha and estimated to contain 47,000 genetically identical aspen ramets. This iconic forest is threatened in particular by herbivory, and current management activities aim to reverse the potential for type conversion, likely to a non-forest state. We set out to gauge agents affecting recent deterioration through a network of monitoring plots and by examining a chronosequence of historic aerial photos to better understand the timing of putative departure from a sustainable course. Sixty-five permanent forest monitoring plots were located in three management regimes existing within Pando: no fencing, fencing with active and passive treatments, fencing with passive-only treatment. At each sample plot we measured live and dead mature trees, stem recruitment and regeneration, forest and shrub cover, browse level, and feces counts as a surrogate for ungulate presence. Ordination results indicate that aspen regeneration was the strongest indicator of overall forest conditions at Pando, and that mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) presence strongly impacts successful regeneration. Additionally, fencing with active/passive treatments yielded the most robust regeneration levels; however, a fence penetrable by ungulates in the passive-only treatment most likely played a role in this outcome. The aerial photo sequence depicts various human intrusions over the past seven decades, but perhaps most telling, a decline in self-replacement beginning 30–40 years ago. Aspen communities in many locations in North American and Europe are impacted by unchecked herbivory. The Pando clone presents a unique opportunity for understanding browse mechanisms in a forest where tree genotype, closely aligned with growth and chemical defense, is uniform