Forest Management & ECOLOGY
Our hills have seen the return of the native hardwood forest after the ravages of logging and coal mining of the 20th century. Our unique location in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, just beyond the furthest reach of the last great glacier of the Ice Age, provides for a diverse habitat of trees, plants, and wildlife native to both Canada and the Appalachian mountains. We depend upon the forest for fuel, food, medicine, building materials, beauty, pure air and carbon sequestration, which has become one of the biggest problems facing the 21st century.
CARBON SMART FORESTRY & AGRICULTURE
Thinning the forest maximizes biodiversity, removes invasives species and provides material for non-timber forest products, mushroom cultivation, fuel and biochar. Care is taken to maintain bee, bird and wildlife habitat while increasing biodiversity of tree and under-story plant species.
Biochar is a valuable soil amendment made from the controlled combustion of these thinnings. When harvested from healthy forest and agro-forestry ecosystems the process not only produces electricity and heat but an end product that can be added to animal or human waste. Charged with minerals and biological organisms, when added to the soil it can increase organic matter, sequester carbon and will have water retention capability. This charcoal can be made in any size container such as small 2 gallon capacity stoves for home or camping use, to large capacity drums to make thousands of pounds of charcoal at a time. Making the biochar comes with the added benefit of fuel, which can be used to cook with, heat water for washing or bathing with and can even be used in the winter months of heating homes.
BIOCHAR WORKSHOP 2017
In spring 2017 Wyatt Run hosted a biochar workshop, several biochar pioneers demonstrated their designs with participants.
There are many other uses of biochar, including soil conservation, water purification, composting toilets and many more!
For more information, check out our Resources page for links on helpful tips and uses of biochar.
For more information, check out our Resources page for links on helpful tips and uses of biochar.