Biochar/Conservation Burn Workshop and Training at Camp Singing Wind

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Norman Baker

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Apr 22, 2018, 1:35:59 PM4/22/18

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Biochar/Conservation Burn Workshop and Training at Camp Singing Wind

Camp Singing Wind
Toledo, WA

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Biochar/Conservation Burn Workshop and Training at Camp Singing Wind

The Sonoma Biochar Initiative is partnering with Camp Singing Wind and Cuauhtemoc Villa present a Biochar/Conservation Burn/Soil Health Workshop and Training to be held from 11 A.M. to 3 P.M. on Saturday May 5th in Toledo, Washington.

Replacing conventional open burn methods with the conservation burn can significantly reduce polluting emissions from agricultural burns in your community and conserve resources, especially carbon. This technique also produces biochar, a valuable soil amendment, in the process.

Biochar, made when biomass (such as vineyard or orchard clippings) is heated at high temperature in a low-oxygen environment, has been under serious, worldwide study as a soil amendment and as a replacement for activated carbon for air and water filtration and pollution remediation activities. In soil, Biochar has been shown to reduce water and nutrient use, and to increase soil tilth, cation exchange capacity, and plant production. Mycorrhizal fungai thrive around biochar, and biochar's highly porous structure and adsorption characteristics act as microscopic holding cells for nutrients, moisture, and beneficial microorganisms.

The workshop includes information on biochar as well as the conservation burn technique and how they add to more sustainable on-farm practices. Classroom and hands-on field training will be will cover the theory behind the process, safety and permitting considerations, pile construction, burn management, maximizing production of biochar, and application options.

Who should attend:

Anyone with wood or brush surplus who normally does an open burn, or anyone interested in learning about biochar and how this carbon-rich material should be a part of any healthy soil building activities in your garden or on the farm.

FARMERS OR GARDENERS OF ALL TYPES SHOULD ATTEND!

As well as:

Vineyard, orchard and row crop managers
Cannabis growers
Land managers
Environmental Students
Ecologists
Forestry and tree contractors
Fire Service Personnel

And anyone interested in learning more about biochar, a remarkable soil amendment that also sequesters carbon where it will do the most good in soil.

Attendees that want to participate should come ready to do some physical labor to help construct and manage burn piles. Please bring heavy work gloves, eye cover, heavy boots, and cotton clothing only to the workshop. A face shield is also recommended.

Onsite accommodations are available. If you'd like to stay over on Friday or Saturday night please contact Brian Dennis at 310 741-1965.

Sonoma Biochar Initiative Director Raymond Baltar and soils expert Cuauhtemoc Villa will be presenting.

Raymond Baltar holds an MBA in Sustainable Enterprise and has been working in the biochar world since co-founding the Sonoma Biochar Initiative in 2009. He was chair of the 2012 USBI Biochar Conference at Sonoma State University, manager of a 2013 Citizen Science Project testing biochar use in consumer gardens, Project Manager for the Redwood Forest Foundation, Inc's North Coast Biochar Project in 2017, and is currently managing a California Department of Water Resources biochar grant project for Sonoma Ecology Center measuring biochar's ability to conserve water at three commercial farms. He has presented or managed over 30 conservation burn trainings for a wide range of wineries, orchards, or environmentally-focused organizations.

Cuauhtemoc Villa is an expert on natural and ancient farming practices, as well as in the making and use of bokashi, a fermented, anaerobic form of composting, and you will learn how to make it and apply it to the soil. Teaming with active microbial life, bokashi can supercharge soil (and biochar) with "good" microorganisms, leading to healthier plants and more nutritious and delicious food. Also a sought after cannabis horticultural expert, Cuauhtemoc has been using and recommending biochar use in this field for years.