Biochar Kilns Webinar

University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Gila County presents: Garden and Country Extension Webinar Series
A Zoom webinar (60-minutes or less) featuring a variety of horticultural and natural resource topics relevant to the environmental conditions and residential concerns of Gila County, Arizona.

Featured Topic: Biochar Kilns

Featured Speaker: Darren McAvoy is an Extension Assistant Professor of Forestry at Utah State University and a Fellow of the Society of American Foresters. He directs the Utah Forest Landowner Education Program and chairs the Utah Biomass Resources Group. He was formerly a Consulting Forester and prescribed fire specialist at Inland Forest Management in Sandpoint, Idaho. He was a sawyer on the Montana based Flathead Hotshot Crew and is a veteran of the 1988 Yellowstone Fires. He holds a M.S. in Communications from Utah State University and a B.S. in Forestry from Colorado State University.

Webinar Overview: Hazardous fuels are a major problem on wildlands throughout the West. Foresters traditionally pile and burn material from fuels reduction projects, but air quality restrictions and longer fire seasons have made open pile burning much more difficult over the past 30 years. Biochar kilns are an innovative approach to hazardous fuel reduction. Containing fuel inside a metal box can allow burning under restricted smoke dispersal conditions. It also allows burning in relatively close proximity to heavy fuels, structures, and within Stream Management Zones. Burning in containers minimizes soil damage, and soil conditions can improve by using the biochar produced on-site. This is an accessible and durable approach to carbon sequestration.

Webinar Facilitator: Chris Jones, Extension Agent, University of Arizona Gila County Cooperative Extension

Zoom Link: https://arizona.zoom.us/j/95503058028 Please log in up to 10 minutes prior to the webinar.