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Event
Sonoma Biochar Initiative Conservation Burn and Biochar Workshop #2
The Sonoma Biochar Initiative is pleased to announce a second Conservation Burn and Biochar Workshop and Training, featuring instructor Peter Hirst, that will be held from 8 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. on Friday March 27th at Circle Bar Ranch, south of the town of Sonoma. Pre-registration is required. This event is co-sponsored by the Sonoma Ecology Center, the Sonoma Resource Conservation District, and Circle Bar Ranch. (Extended field training is also available between 12:30 P.M. and 3:00 P.M.)
By replacing conventional open burn methods with the conservation burn you can significantly reduce emissions (visible smoke and invisible chemicals and particles) from agricultural burns in your community and conserve resources, especially carbon. You will also learn how to produce biochar, a valuable soil amendment, in the process.
Biochar, made when biomass (such as vineyard or orchard clippings) is heated at high temperature in a low-oxygen environment, has been under serious, worldwide study over the last 8 years as a soil amendment. Biochar has been shown to increase soil tilth, cation exchange capacity, and plant production, and its highly porous structure and adsorption characteristics act as microscopic holding cells for nutrients, moisture, and beneficial microorganisms.
The workshop features both hands-on, in-the-field training and a classroom style component.
The early morning classroom session (8 A.M. to 10 A.M.) will focus on biochar itself, including why it works to improve soil, the benefits of using it in both animal and plant agriculture, how to properly condition it prior to use, and how to apply it. Conservation burn theory and methodology will also be covered, including the scientific theory behind the process, safety and permitting considerations, pile construction, burn management, and maximizing production of biochar.
The standard burn training (10:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M.) will include hands-on field training using a pile of vines and vine trimmings. Extended pile management training is available between 12:30 P.M. and 3 P.M.
Who should attend:
Anyone with wood or brush surplus who normally does an open burn, or who is interested in biochar, such as:
Vineyard, orchard and row crop managers
Land managers
Students
Ecologists
Forestry and tree contractors
Fire Service Personnel
And anyone interested in learning more about biochar, a remarkable soil amendment that helps to sequester carbon.
Field training attendees who want to participate should come ready to do some physical labor to help construct, ignite, and manage the pile, and to help with fire safety. Please bring work gloves, eye cover, and boots to the workshop.
A portion of the proceeds will support programs at both the Sonoma Biochar Initiative and the Sonoma Ecology Center. Lunch is not included so bring snacks or lunch if you need them, and please bring a water container to fill up for the field training session. Coffee and water will be available during the morning session.
Instructor and biochar expert Peter Hirst has been an energy and natural resources professional for over 30 years, most recently as owner of New England Biochar, LLC at NEB partner Bob Wells' Redberry Farm on Cape Cod. Peter has consulted and presented in lecture form and hands-on demonstrations of biochar production, testing and application all over the country, and has trained growers, vintners and California State Parks forestry personnel in producing biochar from cleaner open burn methods.
He is a board member of the Sonoma Biochar Initiative, founding President and Director of the Northeast Biochar Association, Inc, a plenary presenter at the US Biochar Initiative 2012 National Conference, and a principal presenter for the 2013 North American Biochar Symposium. Peter is a co-author of The Biochar Revolution, providing chapters on community development and farm-scale biochar production, and is working on a new book, Biochar from the Ground Up. A resident of Sebastopol, he runs the West Coast office of New England Biochar and is managing operations for the Sonoma County Biochar Project.
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LocationCircle Bar Ranch (View)
25700 Arnold Dr.
Sonoma, CA 95476
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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