Turning forest and agricultural "waste" into a workforce development and soil health solution.
We promote sustainable biochar production and use throughout California — reducing wildfire risk, locking carbon in the soil for centuries, and restoring the health of our agricultural lands.
The Sonoma Biochar Initiative (SBI), founded in 2009 as a project of the Sonoma Ecology Center, has spent 15 years at the intersection of fire resilience, climate action, and regenerative agriculture.
Through grant-funded projects from CAL FIRE, the USDA, California DWR, and CDFA, we have established pyrolysis facilities and conducted demonstration projects statewide.
65+
Major Projects & Demonstrations
3+GT
CO₂e Annual Global Potential
10+
Agency Partners — CAL FIRE, USDA & More
1,000+
Years Biochar Remains in Soil
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Wildfire Fuel Reduction
Converting dangerous forest slash into stable, soil-enriching biochar.
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Agricultural Soil Health
Biochar + compost applications for California farms, ranches, and vineyards.
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Carbon Sequestration
Locking atmospheric carbon in soil for centuries — measurable and permanent.
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Education & Outreach
Workshops, webinars, demonstration projects, and school programs statewide.
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Pyrolysis Infrastructure
Building community-scale biochar facilities like our ARTi unit in American Canyon.
Current Work
Latest from the field.
Our newest posts — updates, research, events, and project news from SBI. Newest first.
Initiative News
June 5, 2026
Biochar as a Business
Check out this new online educational opportunity that will help build the in-field workforce we need to scale the production of biochar…
In 2024 and 2025, SBI concluded a two-phase, CAL FIRE-funded grant project measuring and comparing emissions produced by the Ring of Fire Kiln (produced by Wilson Biochar), the conservation burn pile technique, and the standard burn pile technique. This work was conducted in partnership with the San Luis Obispo APCD, the USFS Fire Science Lab, The Usal Redwood Forest Company, LCA researcher Jim Amonette from Washington State University, and SEC's restoration program led by Cuauhtemoc Villa.
Final results are being released in a webinar available here. This data is critical for fire managers, air quality regulators, and biochar producers seeking to understand the relative environmental footprints of different burn management strategies.
ARTi Pyrolysis Facility
Community Pyrolysis — Production Temporarily on Pause
As many of you know who have followed our almost 5-year pyrolysis system saga we received our Authority to Construct permit in February of 2025, and we installed, commissioned, and ran the system successfully for 2 months. During this period we conducted extensive emissions testing, and because of a clerical error by the testing company we had to pause production to go through a health research assessment process, which we successfully completed and we were issued our Permit to Operate on November 17th, allowing us to start up operations. However, there is one more hoop we need to jump through to start operations: our permit specifies that we can accept feedstock from only one source and we need to be able to use any "clean, cellulosic biomass", so we need to change this language. We have requested this change and it has to wind its way through the BAAQMD bureaucracy but we are hopeful we will be able to start producing biochar soon. We WILL be making biochar soon and we will announce that here when we are up and running again.
SBI worked with collaborators Sitos, the US Biochar Coalition, and others to change a USEPA determination that had categorized clean cellulosic biomass as municipal solid waste requiring extensive and expensive monitoring.
Green Schoolyards
Greening 12 Schools — Pittsburg & Santa Rosa
In 2024, SBI received a CAL FIRE grant to manage planning for greening additions to 12 elementary schools - 4 in Santa Rosa and 8 in Pittsburg. Working with architects, landscape architects, and school communities, SBI developed plans that include planting shade trees, building outdoor classrooms, removing asphalt, building bioswales, and integrating biochar into all soil treatments.
In 2025, SBI was awarded implementation funding for Stoneman Elementary in Pittsburg. Construction completed in December 2025 and environmental education programming for 2nd-5th graders began in February 2026. All projects include a curriculum element where SEC staff provide environmental education to every class.
Forest Biomass
Sonoma County Biomass Campus — Berry's Sawmill
SBI is contributing to a Sonoma County effort to assess biomass flows in the county and the viability of establishing a biomass campus and mill to better utilize lower-value, unmerchantable forest materials. Spearheaded by Temra Costa and Jeremy Fisher of Regenerative Forest Solutions and funded by the California Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, this group is currently working to acquire the idled Berry's Sawmill near Cazadero, California.
Oasis Vineyard
Vineyard Field Trial — Positive Results After 6th Harvest
Thanks to the continued monitoring by partners Josiah Hunt of Pacific Biochar and the Monterey Pacific vineyard management company, the Oasis Vineyard field trial - originally funded by the CA Department of Water Resources - is still recording positive results after the 6th harvest. This long-running trial has become one of the most robust biochar-in-viticulture datasets on the West Coast.
Scaling Biochar Forum — 27 Presentations Still Available
In 2020, SBI produced a two-day educational webinar series called the Scaling Biochar Forum - focused on what is needed to scale the developing biochar industry, featuring 27 speakers from across the country representing science, industry, entrepreneurial, and policy perspectives. All 20-30 minute presentations are available on the scalingbiochar.com website. Share them widely.
Join our mailing list to stay current on biochar projects, webinars, and policy developments across California.
Who We Are
About the Sonoma Biochar Initiative
Founded in 2009 as a project of the Sonoma Ecology Center, SBI brings together sustainability consultants, environmental scientists, policy experts, and community organizers united by a belief in biochar's transformative potential.
Dedicated to sustainable biochar education since 2009.
The Sonoma Biochar Initiative (SBI) is a project of the Sonoma Ecology Center (SEC). We are dedicated to promoting biochar education and its sustainable production and use throughout California.
SBI views accelerated use of biochar as key to soil restoration, as a watershed management tool, as a means to reduce mined industrial inputs like construction aggregates, sand, and coal-based activated carbon, and as a "fast mitigation technology" increasingly cited in international climate talks. Through grant funding, SBI has established or contributed to several local and state demonstration projects for biochar production and application.
Biochar production and use is booming — recognized by the IPCC, Lawrence Livermore National Labs, and ClimateWorks as one of the four least expensive and most scalable natural solutions for drawing down carbon from the atmosphere.
Founded
2009
Sonoma County, California
The Team
Raymond Baltar, gMBA
Director
Sustainability consultant, local businessman, and professional photographer focused on integrating business principles with energy conservation and environmental sustainability. Served on the Executive Committee of the Sierra Club, Redwood Chapter. Completed a Green MBA in Sustainable Enterprise from Dominican University in 2011.
David Morell, PhD
Co-Principal · SEC Board Member
Specialist in global environmental and energy policy, retired in 2007 as CEO of an environmental consulting firm. Previously served as a senior official of the US Environmental Protection Agency and in California state government, with extensive university teaching and research experience.
Richard Dale
Co-Principal · SEC Executive Director
Has served as SEC's Executive Director for over 20 years. Programs at the center focused on research, education, and restoration have gained a statewide reputation for excellence. Widely recognized as one of Sonoma County's leading environmentalists.
Susan Haydon
Co-Principal · Conservation Planner
Conservation planner, policy maker, and "dirt nerd" with a 30-year calling founded on planning for a sustainable future. Project manager for Sonoma County Water Agency on water management and climate adaptation. Organic consultant to Marin & Sonoma County farms. City of Rohnert Park Planning Commissioner.
Ray Gallian
Founding Member
SBI's initial founding member, focused on biochar technology and its uses for the past several years. Works primarily on education and outreach to expand biochar use across Northern California.
Supporters & Collaborators
Julien Luebbers — REAP Climate Center · Robert & Margaret Worth · Napa Recycling & Compost Facility ·
Advanced Renewable Technologies Intl (ARTi) ·
Earth Foundries ·
Henry Hickey · Ed Clay · Matthew Banchero · Jake Blehm · Laurie Gallian · Joan Linney · Justin Smith · John Schroeder ·
Kelpie Wilson — Wilson Biochar ·
Michael Wittman · Philip Small · Frank Shields · Adam Seger · Janet Laughlin · Jerome Chambliss · Debbie Hanmer · Garrett Gradillas
SBI is a grass-roots organization looking for people passionate about making a real impact on fire risk, soil health, and climate change.
The Science & Practice
About Biochar
A substance as old as fire, newly understood as one of the most promising tools for climate mitigation, soil restoration, and agricultural productivity improvement.
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Production Temperature
350°C – 1,000°C in low-oxygen conditions
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Soil Stability
Hundreds to thousands of years
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Carbon Potential
1.3–3 GT CO₂e annually at scale (Project Drawdown)
Increased water retention, improved nutrient cycling, higher microbial activity
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Recognized By
IPCC, Lawrence Livermore National Labs, ClimateWorks, Nature Conservancy
Charcoal made for the soil.
Biochar is a specialized form of charcoal produced by heating biomass at high temperatures (typically 350°C to 1,000°C) in low-oxygen environments, in a process called pyrolysis or gasification. Unlike charcoal used for grilling, biochar is produced specifically for use in agriculture and soil management.
When biomass is converted to biochar and added to soils, the carbon it contains is transformed into a very stable form that microorganisms cannot use as a food source — so it degrades extremely slowly. This makes biochar a form of carbon sequestration that can be implemented by anyone from a backyard vegetable gardener to the largest farm in California's Central Valley.
"Biochar has thousands of tiny pores that hold nutrients and water for plant roots to access. In many ways it's akin to a coral reef in the ocean — a natural attractant, sanctuary, and incubator creating infrastructure for billions of organisms to thrive."
In the soil.
Biochar is placed into the soil by farmers — in fields, orchards, vineyards. The best time to apply it is with new plantings, but no-till nutrient application techniques allow addition to existing plantings as well. Field tests have consistently shown that the worse the soil's characteristics when biochar is added, the more positive the impact on crop yields.
Biochar is not a single type of material, but rather a broad category of carbonized biomass. Different feedstocks, temperatures, and processes produce materials with different properties. Woody feedstocks with high lignin content typically produce the most biochar by volume. Lower-temperature biochars from materials like manures and grasses can possess unique agronomic properties, and research continues into matching specific biochars to specific soils and crops.
The carbon cycle connection.
When trees and crop residue decompose or burn, their carbon returns to the atmosphere within years. Converting that same material to biochar and incorporating it into soil moves that carbon onto a geological timescale — centuries to millennia. Biochar production and use prevents a large percentage of the CO₂ contained in the feedstock from returning to the atmosphere.
The IPCC, Project Drawdown, the Nature Conservancy, the US Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Lawrence Livermore National Lab have all identified biochar as one of the most important "natural climate solutions" available. Project Drawdown estimates that widespread adoption of biochar could reduce global emissions by 1.3 to 3 billion tonnes of CO₂e annually by 2050.
Sustainable production first.
SBI strongly believes that biochar should be made only from sustainably managed sources — critical from both an environmental and business perspective. When sourcing biomass from forest environments, great care must be taken to preserve and minimize damage to forest ecosystems. There is more than enough misdirected and poorly managed biomass to provide material for a healthy, sustainable biochar industry in the coming decades.
We also understand that biochar production is a regional activity — hauling biomass over long distances is not viable economically or environmentally. We support construction of regionally-located biomass-to-biochar conversion centers organized by "carbonsheds" that match appropriate feedstock sources to technology sizes based on site-specific conditions.
Explore our curated library of biochar research, books, webinars, and field reports.
Research & Reference
Biochar Resources
White papers, field reports, books, videos, podcasts, TED talks, and biochar organizations — a comprehensive library curated over 15 years of work in the field.
Excellent technical report on biochar's viability as a natural climate solution and its many other uses. Springer Environmental Chemistry Letters, 2021.
The International Biochar Initiative's foundational quality and testing standards — the baseline reference for biochar characterization and certification worldwide.
An excellent peer-reviewed journal published by the Ithaka Institute for Carbon Intelligence, covering biochar science and practice internationally. Kathleen Draper is on the editorial board.
A social enterprise working with smallholder farmers in Thailand, Kenya, and beyond to convert crop waste into biochar instead of burning it — reducing smoke pollution, sequestering carbon, and generating income through carbon removal credits.
A comprehensive set of biochar-related articles, studies, and reports from Pacific Biochar's website — including their multi-year Oasis Vineyard field trial data.
Presentations, videos, white papers, and equipment information from Kelpie Wilson — inventor of the Ring of Fire flame-cap kiln and author of The Biochar Handbook.
A stunning short documentary (~20 min) directed by Leila Conners and Matthew Schmidt (the filmmakers behind Ice on Fire), produced by Exomad Green and Carbonfuture. Narrated by Sebastian Manhart. Follows sustainable forest waste transformed into biochar deep in the Bolivian Amazon, weaving together science, indigenous tradition, and climate action. Over 60,000 views and counting.
Climate change documentary produced and narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Leila Connors. Highlights CO₂ drawdown strategies including biochar production and use.
A full-length documentary examining what the field evidence actually says when biochar goes into the ground — a rigorous look at soil health, climate mitigation, and real-world agricultural results.
A documentary highlighting biochar use in the Amazon and showcasing its possibilities as a soil amendment for carbon sequestration worldwide. Available to watch free online.
An acclaimed regenerative agriculture documentary starring Laura Dern, Jason Momoa, Donald Glover, Woody Harrelson, and Rosario Dawson. Directed by Joshua and Rebecca Harrell Tickell. Winner of the International Green Film Award by Cinema for Peace 2024. Available on Amazon Prime.
A documentary on regenerative agricultural practices that features biochar prominently, including Josiah Hunt of Pacific Biochar. Praised by Paul Hawken as "touching, instructive, and remarkable." Available free on Vimeo.
SBI Director Raymond Baltar used AI-assisted songwriting tools to create a collection of original biochar- and ecology-themed songs — from folk to blues to rock — to help spread the word about biochar in a whole new way. Listen and share!
By Kelpie Wilson (Chelsea Green, 2023). The most up-to-date hands-on guide to biochar production and use — covering feedstocks, kilns, soil application, and markets. Essential reading for practitioners.
By Johannes Lehmann and Stephen Joseph. The key academic reference text on biochar science.
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Terra Preta: How the World's Most Fertile Soil Can Help Reverse Climate Change and Build Soil Fertility
By Kathleen Draper and Hans-Peter Schmidt. Traces the Amazon dark earth origins of modern biochar practice and their implications for global soil restoration.
The leading international organization setting quality standards, policy frameworks, and certification protocols for biochar worldwide. GLOBAL STANDARDS & POLICY
Industry trade association unifying producers, technology providers, carbon markets, and end-market stakeholders to advance biochar policy at the federal and state levels. US POLICY ADVOCACY
Nonprofit promoting the sustainable production and use of biochar through research, policy, technology, and implementation. Hosts the annual North American Biochar Conference. RESEARCH & EDUCATION
Publisher of the European Biochar Certificate (EBC) — the internationally recognized quality and carbon-sink certification standard for biochar. Also a leading research and education hub. CERTIFICATION & RESEARCH
A two-day educational webinar series produced by SBI in 2020, featuring 27 speakers from science, industry, entrepreneurial, and policy perspectives. All presentations available online. 27 VIDEO PRESENTATIONS FROM 2020 SUMMIT
An online decision support toolkit helping users select biochar types and amendment rates for their soil goals. Includes case studies, producer directories, and cost-benefit calculators. REGIONAL RESOURCE & DECISION SUPPORT
Tracks verified carbon dioxide removal deliveries across the voluntary carbon market, with biochar consistently representing the largest share of durable CDR. CARBON REMOVAL MARKET TRACKER
Questions about using biochar? Get in touch with our team.
Field Work
Projects making biochar real in California.
From containerized pyrolysis facilities to school greening projects and emissions science, SBI turns research into action and shares every result openly.
● Active 2025 - Currently on Pause
ARTi Pyrolysis Unit — Napa Recycling & Compost Facility
After a four-year permitting journey with BAAQMD, our team received its Authority to Construct permit and, in November 2025, the final Permit to Operate (PTO) for our containerized ARTi pyrolysis unit at the Napa Recycling and Compost Facility in American Canyon. However, this PTO limits our sourcing of feedstock from just one company, A Plus Tree — a vestige of our previous CAL FIRE grant agreement — but this company can no longer supply what we need. So we have asked the BAAQMD to expand our allowed sourcing choices. This has taken over 3 months so far due to a change in wording we need from a USEPA Letter of Determination. So, while we have met all of the emissions and operational requirements for running the system, changing a few words in our permit has again stalled the restart of operations. We have confidence this will happen, and we WILL be making biochar soon — we will announce that here when we are up and running again.
SBI worked with collaborators Sitos, the US Biochar Coalition, and others to change a USEPA determination that had categorized clean cellulosic biomass as municipal solid waste requiring extensive monitoring. Under the revised determination, this material can now be used as a commercially acceptable feedstock for biochar and energy production — a major win for community-scale facilities.
Green Schoolyards — 12 Schools in Pittsburg & Santa Rosa
In 2024, Sonoma Ecology Center received a CAL FIRE grant to manage planning for greening additions to 12 elementary schools - 4 in Santa Rosa and 8 in Pittsburg. Working with architects, landscape architects, and school communities, plans were developed to include 37 shade trees, outdoor classrooms, bioswale construction, asphalt removal, and biochar-enhanced soil treatments throughout.
In 2025, Sonoma Ecology Center was awarded implementation funding for Stoneman Elementary in Pittsburg, in partnership with the Pittsburg Unified School District. Construction completed in December 2025. Environmental education for 2nd-5th graders began in February 2026.
● Results Released 2023-2025
Flame-Cap Kiln Emissions Study — USFS Fire Science Lab, Missoula
SBI, with the San Luis Obispo Air Pollution Control District, the USFS Fire Science Lab, The Usal Redwood Forest Company, and WSU scientist James Amonette, PhD, completed a landmark two-year emissions testing project comparing pollutants from flame-cap kilns, conservation burns, and standard burn piles. Results are presented in a webinar available online.
Oasis Vineyard Biochar Trial — 6 Harvests of Positive Results
The long-running Oasis Vineyard field trial near King City, CA - originally funded by the California Department of Water Resources - is continuing to show positive results after the 6th harvest, monitored by Josiah Hunt of Pacific Biochar and the Monterey Pacific vineyard management company. This dataset has become one of the most robust biochar-in-viticulture records on the West Coast.
SBI is always looking for land managers, researchers, farmers, and funders interested in advancing biochar practice and science in California.
Why We Exist
Our Mission
SBI's primary mission is to promote the ethical and sustainable production and use of biochar throughout California and beyond.
We educate a wide range of affected stakeholders in the advantages of biochar as a key tool in Sonoma County and California to achieve both effective climate policy and accelerated, sustainable agricultural productivity improvement. Biochar production and application holds great promise as a "fast mitigation technology" that, if utilized responsibly at scale, could decrease a significant percentage of atmospheric CO₂ while helping to build and maintain healthy soils.
In pursuit of these objectives, SBI actively promotes policies at local, state, and federal government levels to foster early adoption of biochar production and application through appropriate carbon valuation and funding; technology support; offset protocols; and clear pathways to address regulatory hurdles. SBI seeks to develop ongoing California biochar demonstration projects designed to show the usefulness and viability of this emerging technology.
Such projects include various components that together can link biochar production, GHG reduction, carbon sequestration, agricultural soil building and yield enhancement, water filtration, pollution mitigation, and energy cogeneration.
Network & Partners
Organizational Alliances
SBI works in collaboration with government agencies, nonprofits, research institutions, and industry partners across California and the United States.
SBI welcomes collaboration with organizations, agencies, researchers, and businesses advancing biochar in California and beyond.
Get Involved
Join the Sonoma Biochar Initiative
SBI is a grass-roots organization that is dedicated to making a difference in our local communities, forests, and farm systems.
Be part of the movement.
We are looking for people to join us who are passionate about making positive impacts in our world, who love collaborating and learning about how to make a difference on some of the most pressing issues of our day, and who want to help spread the word about biochar and its many positive attributes. We are action-oriented and want to spend our time doing, not just talking.
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Sign up below
Newsletter keeps you current on biochar news, events, and opportunities.
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Become a member
Mail a check to Sonoma Ecology Center, P.O. Box 1486, Eldridge CA 95431. Write "SBI" in the notes.
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Tax-deductible
SBI is a project of the Sonoma Ecology Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit.
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Attend meetings
We hold periodic community meetings, trainings, and biochar production events.
Membership
$25
Student / Senior
Student ID or age 65+ required. Includes digital newsletter and supporter listing.
$45
Individual
Full membership with newsletter, supporter listing, and website link.
$100
Business / Org
For businesses and organizations. Includes newsletter, listing, and website link.
$250
Biochar Visionary
Major supporter category. Prominent listing and recognition in SBI communications.
Newsletter Signup
Stay current on biochar projects, events, webinars, and research across California. We typically send 4–6 emails per year.
Subscribe →
We never share your email. Unsubscribe at any time.
To become a member: mail a check made out to Sonoma Ecology Center to P.O. Box 1486, Eldridge, CA 95431. Please write "SBI" in the notes, and include your name, organization (if applicable), mailing address, email, phone, website (if you'd like a link), and membership category. Students please include a copy of your current student ID; seniors are age 65 and above.
Reach Out
Contact the Sonoma Biochar Initiative
Whether you have a question about biochar, want to discuss a project, or are interested in joining our team, we'd love to hear from you.
