Bringing biochar to a forest near you: In-woods biochar production using the CharBoss

Photo Credit

Darcy Weseman, USDA Forest Service

The USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, in cooperation with University of Idaho College of Natural Resources and Air Burners, Inc., co-hosted a demonstration of the brand new CharBoss® at the University of Idaho Experimental Forest on January 13th, 2023. Representatives from federal, state, local, and Tribal organizations were on-site to see the CharBoss® in action.

“The CharBoss® is effective at reducing slash piles without as much smoke and particulates as would be seen from open slash pile burning,” said Debbie Dumroese, a senior research scientist with the Rocky Mountain Research Station. “At the same time, we are creating a high carbon product that can be used to restore soil at the log landings and skid trails or elsewhere within the watershed. Our goal is to use this tool to reduce residues and wildfire risk, while building more resilient soils and improving forest health.”

The CharBoss® is an in-woods machine that converts unmerchantable woody biomass into biochar. Air Burners, Inc., a private company based in Florida, worked closely with Forest Service scientists and managers to design and manufacture the CharBoss®, under a USDA Cooperative Research and Development Agreement. This public-private partnership grew out of a need to find a market solution to the problem of woody waste materials generated from forest management activities, beyond burning it or hauling it off-site. The Idaho field demonstration featured a new and improved CharBoss® in its first field test after several years of redesign.

The updated unit is capable of processing about one ton of slash per hour. With an adequate supply of woody debris and water on-site to quench the biochar as it exits the conveyor, land managers can make short work of wood waste piles with minimal pollution. Biochar created onsite can be applied to soils to improve soil health and water retention. Biochar is also an excellent amendment for abandoned mine reclamation and reforestation sites. 
Derek Pierson, a research soil scientist with the Rocky Mountain Research Station, said that, “The safety and mobility of the CharBoss® may reshape how forest managers go about managing the slash generated from forest harvest and fuel management activities.”

Demonstrations are planned in Montana, Oregon, and Arizona this spring. You can learn more about biochar and the technology behind the CharBoss® from Air Burners, Inc.

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.