Beyond the basics: a perspective on barriers and opportunities for scaling up biochar production from forest slash

Abstract

Biochar production from woody biomass generated during forest management (slash) offers significant benefits for soil health and carbon emissions, yet its adoption remains limited in the western United States (U.S.). To address this challenge, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (U.S.D.A.) Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station organized two workshops focused on forest management-centric biochar production. These workshops convened a diverse group of stakeholders, including investors, land management practitioners, industry professionals, and research scientists, each with unique roles in slash-based biochar production. This article presents a synthesis of the insights and perspectives gathered from these workshops, aiming to identify barriers and propose viable pathways for overcoming them. The barriers encompass governance issues such as policy and permitting, economic challenges related to costs, funding, and market stability, technological hurdles concerning methods and equipment, and a need for further research and improved science dissemination. In response to these challenges, workshop attendees collaboratively outlined specific strategies to reduce these barriers. These strategies emphasize the expansion of operational initiatives, the development of proactive policies, the stabilization of biochar markets, and the generation of additional case studies showcasing the effects of biochar amendments across various soils and environments. Collectively, the insights gleaned from this workshop series provide a comprehensive roadmap outlining both the struggles and the necessary actions and investments required to enhance the scale of slash-based biochar production and application in the western U.S.

Highlights

•	Intertwined policy, economic, technology, and knowledge barriers underpin pervasive biochar adoption issues.
•	Managers face pervasive challenges with permitting, slash handling costs and uncertain biochar application benefits.
•	Pathways forward involve setting goals, streamlining permits, enhancing science communication, and further case studies.

Keywords

Biochar adoption / Forest management / Slash disposal / Science-management workshops / Science delivery

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