Forest Products and Wood Innovations

[Teresa Matteson]

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From: USDA Forest Service Research <research...@news.fs.usda.gov>
Sent: Thursday, January 8, 2026 8:45 AM
To: Teresa Matteson <tmat...@bentonswcd.org>
Subject: Forest Products and Wood Innovations

 

Biochar

To view this email as a web page, click here. Wood Innovations: From Skyscrapers to Sunscreen to Soil Amendments Biochar, mass timber, nanocellulose: innovative materials like these are helping move the forest products industry from the age of hand saws to the modern era. And Forest Service researchers assist land managers and industry partners in this transition, finding new and better uses for forest products while streamlining aspects of the supply chain from harvesting trees to recycling worn products.  We'll spend this month focusing on the many wood innovations supported by Forest Service researchers. This week: biochar.   Subscribe! Biochar Though it may simply look like the charcoal you use in your grill, biochar is a jack-of-all trades for forest health. It helps soils retain water and store carbon while also removing heavy metals and other toxins from the environment. Biochar can be made by burning woody debris from forest thinning projects in a low-oxygen environment, creating a high-value product out of waste. And researchers estimate as much as 210 million tons of woody debris could be removed from forests in the western US to reduce fire risk and used in products like biochar—an economic value of up to $6 billion.  Hands holding freshly-made biochar. USDA Forest Service/Rick Fletcher How do Forest Service researchers help people create and use biochar?  With Air Burners, Inc., we’ve designed, patented, and delivered the CharBoss©, a mobile furnace that can create biochar wherever forest debris is left from fuels reduction and forest projects.  We’ve published the A-to-Z guide for land managers on making and using biochar. We’ve created decision trees to help land managers know where and how to produce biochar.  We’re showing how modifying biochar with tiny, metal-based particles can help it better bind to and immobilize toxins.   We’re seeing how biochars made from different trees and forest debris differ in properties that determine how well they adsorb to different types of toxins.    How is biochar improving our soils, water, and air?  When mixed with mulch and applied to soil in lodgepole pine forests, biochar increases post-fire soil nutrient content and plant growth―keeping harmful debris from eroding into waterways and ensuring future forest productivity.  Producing biochar from slash emits less carbon and smoke than burning slash in open piles. Biochar can then store that carbon in soil.  Biochar shows promise in immobilizing toxic “forever chemicals” in our drinking water.  When mixed with manure and applied to nutrient-poor sandy soils, biochar helps break down dead wood and supports seedling growth.  How is biochar helping us restore degraded environments?   When formed into composite boards, biochar can remove nearly all toxic mercury dissolved in water samples in 48 hours. When applied to log landings―places where logs sit before being loaded onto trucks―biochar helps improve soil conditions and reduce compaction, paving the way for pollinator-friendly plantings.   Biochar may help restore hurricane-damaged southern oak and hickory forests by balancing levels of soil nitrogen and easing growth of competing trees like maple.   Biochar shows promise in cleaning heavy metals and other toxins from abandoned mines before they leach into water and soil.   A group of researchers and practitioners creating biochar in the field. USDA Forest Service photo. This email was sent by: USDA Forest Service Research and Development 201 14th St SW Washington, DC, 20227, USA Update Profile