The Yellowhead Community Services Food Security Program is providing the district of Barriere with one of two community biochar kilns.
Community garden and food security coordinator Joanna Hurst said the donation will expand the service to a greater area within the North Thompson.
“The call was put out through our food hub network for a steward of the kiln in the Barriere area, and the (district) enthusiastically jumped at the opportunity,” Hurst said.
District of Barriere councillor, Judy Armstrong, was on hand during a recent meeting with the food hub network when the offer of the biochar kiln for the Barriere area came forward.
“We are really looking forward to being able to use this kiln in our area and appreciate having this opportunity, not only for fire mitigation purposes but the charcoal created is wonderful for gardening and replenishing the soil around the base of trees. It’s just another way we continue to partner as good neighbours in the North Thompson.”
Biochar is a product of burning waste wood and branches and the charcoal can be used as a soil builder says Hurst.
“Using the biochar kiln thereby promotes FireSmart, climate-friendly and food-secure communities. We gratefully acknowledge the Tamarack Institute, the Canadian Red Cross and Transition Salt Spring for providing the kilns for our communities.”
In April the Yellowhead Community Services (YCS) Food Security Program hosted the annual Seedy Saturday event in Clearwater with invited guests Brian Smallshaw and Grace Fields from the Transition Salt Spring Society attending to demonstrate the use of their manufactured portable biochar kilns. The YCS Food Security Program received specific funding at that time from the Tamarack Institute to purchase two new biochar kilns to be used by residents in the valley wanting to borrow them to either produce their own charcoal from yard waste or can also be used to reduce yard waste for home FireSmart mitigation.
Biochar is charcoal used for soil amendment or soil remediation purposes. Smallshaw said charcoal is wood that has been partially burned in an oxygen-reduced atmosphere in a process known as pyrolysis. Wood that been exposed to pyrolysis is almost pure carbon and when burned emits very little smoke. Putting charcoal into the soil has been found to be very beneficial for plant growth. Biochar is a dense concentration of microscopic cavities that provide a habitat for microbes and fungi, which in turn aid in plant growth.
Charcoal has a neutral pH explained Smallshaw and due to the biochar having a certain amount of ash it helps to “sweeten the soil.”
If you are interested in the biochar kiln in either Clearwater or Barriere you can contact Hurst at Yellowhead Community Services at: joanna.h@yellowheadcs.ca or your local district office.
Interested in learning more about the Transition Salt Spring Society? Visit their website at: https://transitionsaltspring.com/biochar-kilns/
