Koanga have been discussing, producing and using biochar for some time…
Kay’s Garden Blog – July 22nd – Koanga Institute
Spring is around the corner and I haven’t written a garden blog for a while, I have a new greenhouse /garden shed about to be ready for use and finally after months of agonising I’ve decided how to cut down the number of hours I require to spend in the garden to keep it looking …
Abstract: “Biochar additions to agricultural soil have been shown to result in many benefits; however, most studies have been conducted in greenhouse or laboratory trials with few being conducted in the field and particularly in association with organic farming systems. Herein, this gap was addressed by conducting on-farm studies on the efficacy of locally produced biochar as a soil amendment in small-scale organic agriculture on 10 farms in San Juan County, WA.
Biochar produced from local timber harvest residues in the San Juan Islands was applied in factorial combination with a poultry litter based fertilizer to replicated plots on all 10 farms. Dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L) were grown on eight of the farms with green beans and cauliflower being grown on the other two. Soils were examined for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and carbon (C) pools during the growing season. Dry bean samples were evaluated for metal uptake. Results showed that biochar additions enhanced soil total C by 32-33%, soil available NH4 + by 45-54%, soil active organic N by 48-110%, and active inorganic P by 29%; biochar additions enhanced soil NO3 – -N, NH4 + -N, and P retention by 33%, 53% and 39% respectively. Increased availability of soil P, Fe, Mg, Zn was reflected in nutrient density of harvested dry beans. This study demonstrates that locally produced wood biochar has the potential to increase soil nutrient availability and nutrient uptake. By producing biochar from timber harvest residues and applying them on neighboring organic farms on the San Juan Islands, WA, this study leveraged local resources and community readiness to drive forest restoration and sustainable agricultural practices on the sandy soils of the San Juan Islands.”
Conclusion: “Soils of San Juan County, WA are dominated by sandy soils of glacial origin, which have a naturally high leaching capacity and limited water holding capacity. The area has an urgent need for forest health treatments to reduce fire risk on this isolated dry-forest ecosystem. The results from this short-term field study on ten organic farms in the San Juan Islands, WA suggest that locally produced biochar applied alone or when “charged” with chicken litter has the potential to improve N and P availability; increase nutrient retention; and increase dry bean nutrient density. By producing biochar from local timber harvest residues and applying them in neighboring agricultural soils, our study illustrated an overall positive benefit of an integrated agronomic and forest management strategy. Organic farming systems strive to create closed nutrient cycles that have lower immediately available nutrients compared to conventional farming. We believe on-site produced biochar used in our study could potentially improve nutrient cycling and availability to crops. Further studies are needed to explore the stability and long-term effectiveness of our on-site produced biochar on overall soil health.”
The roadmap is discussed at the RNZ website, linked above.
I’ve searched the document for reference to biochar… zero results but no surprise there.
I then searched on ‘soil’. There is some mention or hint at soil services in Theme 1 – Climate change and Theme 4 – Land ecosystems and processes. This looks like a great opportunity to get more focus on biochar’s potential to provide environmental services under almost all of the themes described. We should rally around this opportunity… please consider making a submission.
If you are interested in a collaborative effort, then please get in touch.
This discussion paper seeks your input into the development of a proposed conservation and environment science roadmap. The roadmap will identify the areas of scientific knowledge needed by government over the next 20 years to support decision-making for conservation and environmental policy and management to achieve the most desirable future for New Zealand.
Provide your feedback on the discussion paper
Submissions close at 5.00pm on Wednesday 7 September 2016.
Biochar gets a specific mention by MPI as a research option under “Theme 2, Carbon sink enhancement”. It looks to me like it could fit other theme criteria as well…
“The Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change (SLMACC) Research Programme helps the agriculture and forestry sectors with the challenges arising from climate change. Learn about the projects the programme supports and its priorities.” …
The total funding available for the 2016-2017 financial year is $1.6m excluding GST.
The available funding will be spread across 3 research themes:
…“Another example is that nowhere else is Miscanthus the main feedstock for production of renewable diesel – something that is close to happening in New Zealand, using proven USA technology. To make things even better, one of the by-products of this process is biochar that is of activated-carbon quality.”
“New Zealand is also poised to commence evaluating the use of Miscanthus biochar to increase growth rate in cattle while at the same time potentially reducing their methane emissions” Brown concluded. The methane work is being carried out by the University of Tennessee…
Steven should have his own TV series. A younger and hairier version of Bear Grills, without the parachute. I’m also betting he’s a much better cook. They can both skin a deer but can the Bear pollinate flowers and graft apple trees?
He’s also a good communicator, with a lot of interesting video… check out his video work on simple biochar production methods and garden experiments.
http://skillcult.com/biochar-and-charcoal
Hi videos on brush pile and trench methods point to potential solutions for better horticulture waste /biomass disposal methods, forest slash utilisation and wilding pine management. He credits Kelpie Wilson and others for their work on developing these systems. A search on “kelpie” at the ABE site will pull some of the history.
His leeks are looking good as well… check out the raised bed video.
A message from the journal team:
“We are excited to announce the 2nd annual World CharDays event to be held on (or around) June 21st. Please help us spread the word so we can have even more participants this year. If you join in the festivities, please let us know by adding your name and other details on this survey monkey poll: https://www.
We’d also like to draw your attention to a recent open access publication on the emissions and char quality from Kon-Tiki kilns. This research supports the notion that individuals can make their own high quality biochar using low cost methods.”
Between now and 2050, forests are one of our “most promising” geo-engineering tools.
…But in a new report, Oxford University researchers say that our best hopes might not be so complex. In fact, they are two things we already know how to do: plant trees and improve the soil.
Both techniques, said the report, are “no regrets.” They’ll help the atmosphere no matter what, they’re comparatively low-cost, and they carry little additional risk. Specifically, the two techniques it recommends are afforestation—planting trees where there were none before—and biochar—improving the soil by burying a layer of dense charcoal.
Between now and 2050, trees and charcoal are the “most promising” technologies out there, it said….
“It is clear that attaining negative emissions is in no sense an easier option than reducing current emissions,” it says (emphasis mine).”
“To remove CO2 on a comparable scale to the rate it is being emitted inevitably requires effort and infrastructure on a comparable scale to global energy or agricultural systems.”
Experience the Synergy
Over the last several years, researchers have helped open up many promising avenues for biochar market development in North America. Likewise, many entrepreneurs and small business owners have made investments to develop commercial markets. With so much research being published on biochar (over 5000 publications in 2015 alone!), there is a need to bring together these two groups to share information, lessons learned, and to solicit ideas on the pathway forward for biochar commercial development. The US Biochar Initiative and Sustainable Obtainable Solutions aims to bring together stakeholders in the applied biochar research community and the private sector to further biochar market development.
Come to Oregon early to attend more great biochar events! The Summer Stove Camp will take place August 15th-19th in Cottage Grove. Also in Cottage Grove, you can attend the Char Production Gathering from August 19th-20th. See the links to get more information or to register for these events.
Accepting Abstracts
Click here to learn more.