The Sonoma Ecology Center recently signed a contract agreement with CalFire to manage an Urban Forestry grant that will produce biochar at Mare Island using pyrolysis technology from the Advanced Renewable Technology International company in Iowa. This project will work closely with a sustainably managed tree care company, A Plus Tree based in Pleasant Hill, California, to divert hundreds of cubic yards of material from landfills and produce biochar instead. A Plus Tree will use the biochar in their tree care activities as well as distribute it to local community and school gardens in economically challenged areas of the East Bay Area, and will plant 1200 new trees in these areas as well. SEC hopes this project will serve as a model for the more sustainable use of urban biomass as well as scaling the use of biochar in urban and municipal landscaping activities.

We will post regular updates are excited to start work on this on this project that we hope will be a model for other similar efforts around the Bay Area and beyond.

Raymond Baltar