Biochar is an ancient technique to turn woody biomass into a soil amendment using a process called pyrolysis. Pyrolysis heats wood in a low oxygen environment limiting emissions and leaving biochar and syngas, a renewable fuel.‍ ‍Biochar can also be used as an admixture in low carbon concrete and plaster.

2026 summer TomKat Educational Foundation interns helped spread phase 1 of a field trial using production walnut shell biochar and HumiSoil provided by People Food and Land Foundation. Fall 2026 we will cover crop and monitor soil fertility and moisture against a control plot with Program Earth Soil Signal.

Most biochar is made at large scale facilities located near nut tree processing plants or large forests. Working with All Power Labs Charpallet mobile unit, we are fundraising for phase 2, to field-test single-source and blended biochar feedstocks from typical on-site biomass building missing data for region specific soil recipes and building material admixtures. The goal is to create a replicable regional co-operative allowing small and mid scale land owners to monetize land stewardship.