The Benefits of Biochar: Mine land restoration in western Colorado

Photo Credit

Timothy Nicosia

Derek Pierson speaking to the attendees at the GMUG CharBoss demonstration.

Support for biochar as a way to re-introduce carbon back into forest soils, remediate mine lands, and to restore soil health is picking up traction across the western United States. As a result, the CharBoss®, a mobile, in-woods, air curtain burner biochar production unit, has traveled across the region for demonstrations in Oregon, Washington, Montana, Utah, Arizona, and Idaho. The USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, in cooperation with the Grand Mesa Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forest (GMUG), held the first CharBoss® demonstration in Colorado on June 12th and June 13th to showcase the benefits of biochar.

Biochar can restore mine land soils by binding heavy metals in suitable quantities with its porous, honeycomb structure. It can also improve soil health by increasing soil stability, introducing carbon into carbon-deficient systems, and increasing soil-water retention to facilitate revegetation efforts. During the demonstration held on the Grand Mesa Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forest in western Colorado, the CharBoss® was put to work to create beneficial biochar from slash piles that were built after a timber sale operation. 

Attendees included university and private industry partners and leaders from the Grand Mesa Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forest. They got to see the CharBoss® in action, talk to one another about their observations, and ask questions to Forest Service personnel on-site. They also had the opportunity to listen to a talk led by Rocky Mountain Research Station scientists Derek Pierson, Jeffrey Morisette, Nathaniel Anderson, and Daniel McCollum about the CharBoss®, biochar, and the pros and cons of biochar use on forest lands.

During the event, representatives of the conservation group Trout Unlimited also showcased work they are doing to restore an abandoned mine. They gave attendees a tour of their test plots, shared their study plan, and discussed the conditions of the site and how they can be improved. While it will take some time to restore this site, test plots show promise for larger-scale reclamation paradigms. Demonstrations such as these continue to provide the information needed to help implement biochar use on forest lands.  

For nearly 120 years, Forest Service scientists have helped pioneer new products that use wood for such things as construction, consumer products, energy, and the automotive, aerospace, electronics, and medical device industries. Today, the Forest Service delivers product and market development and expanded manufacturing capacity for many sectors of the wood products economy, which supports industries and American jobs.