Natural resource professionals, agricultural producers, landscapers, home gardeners, soil health advocates and anyone else with an interest in gardening, plant or animal agriculture, water quality and carbon sequestration will have an opportunity to learn more about biochar (charred biomass) during workshops the North Dakota State University – North Dakota Forest Service is holding in early November.

The dates, locations and topics of the workshops are:

• Nov. 6, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., North Dakota Forest Service field office, Lisbon – biochar basics with a focus on gardening and urban applications
• Nov. 7, 9 a.m. to noon, NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center – biochar basics and biochar’s use in livestock applications such as feed supplements and manure management
• Nov. 8, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Icelandic State Park, Cavalier – biochar basics, fuel mitigation and stand improvement
• Nov. 9, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Dakota College, Bottineau – biochar basics, soil health and crop production

The full-day workshops will include a classroom portion as an introduction to biochar and discussion of its applications. The full-day workshops also will include a hands-on biochar production demonstration. Lunch will be provided during the full-day sessions; refreshments will be provided for the Carrington workshop.

Kelpie Wilson of Wilson Biochar Associates, Cave Junction, Ore., is the facilitator and main speaker for the workshops. Wilson is an engineer and analyst with 30 years of experience in renewable energy, sustainable forestry and resource conservation. Since 2008, she has focused on biochar and has consulted with private industry and government agencies through her company, Wilson Biochar Associates.

“This is a great opportunity for anyone who has maybe heard of biochar but isn’t sure how it could be useful for them,” says Derek Lowstuter, forest stewardship manager with the NDSU – North Dakota Forest Service. “The informal classroom sessions and hands-on demonstrations allow attendees to get the most out of the workshop. These workshops are a great no-cost way for people to see if biochar could work for them in managing their plants or animals.”

To register, go to https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/ndfs/biochar. Register by Oct. 31 to ensure adequate food and materials are available. Attending the workshops is free of charge.

The NDSU-North Dakota Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture-Forest Service and USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service are sponsoring the workshops.