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Gray Shaw is leading a public workshop about making and using biochar from forest waste in conjunction with BLM and CCC at the Whitethorn BLM facility on Monday, Feb. 24.
due to low enrollment and rain
Stay tuned for possible new date!
April 13, 2024
A Black Ripple Event
Led by Gray Shaw of the Institute for Sustainable Forestry
Following the success of an ISF-sponsored pole harvesting/building workshop with Colin Gillespie in February at our Seely/Salmon Creek venue, we’re offering a full day of instruction on making and using biochar on April 13.
Place-based biochar-making adds value to excess fuel from the forest. Making biochar on steep off-grid land with limited access to water resulted in an original toolset that includes specialized kilns, custom charcoal grinder and powered wheelbarrow, described here. The principles of making and using biochar are the same in all circumstances, and Gray has been presenting them in workshops for ISF since 2020.
At this workshop you will learn:
The benefits of biochar
Hands-on demonstration of two different types of kilns, along with simple pile methods—pros and cons
What types of fuel to use
How to utilize the biochar in your garden
As a bonus, you will receive 10 lbs. of biochar!
Gray is a permaculture-trained forest health practitioner and an early adopter of place-paced biochar. We will be practicing different methods of making biochar from forest waste, primarily with kilns that Gray has been using since 2015. The workshop also includes classroom-style instruction and a delicious vegetarian lunch.
When: April 13, 2024
Where: 4681 Seely Creek Rd (5 miles from Briceland Rd)
Time: 9am-4:30 Vegetarian Lunch provided, please RSVP
RSVP & Cost: $75. Please register here to RSVP. Camping is free and available the night before and after event. Questions?gray@blackripple.com
Gray Shaw prepares the group for what they are about to experience
Gray Shaw and Susan Nolan rolled out their biochar dog and pony show for the crowd at Humboldt Permaculture Guild’s annual Seed and Scion Exchange on March 9 at the Arcata Community Center. About 15 folks attended and showed great interest in their questions and their conversations with us afterward.
At these events, Susan manages the fire in a small “educational” crucible that flies under the radar of the air quality board while Gray presents information and engages the crowd. Questions will range from best fuels to proper temperature to biochar’s use in the soil, often leading in unexpected directions; this time it was retorts. Almost all of them stood for the whole thing.
Our gratitude goes out to Levon Durr and company from the Guild for hosting this show within a splendid community sharing economy event.
Round poles and locally milled wood from sustainably managed forests provide the bones for a simple climate-resilient architecture. As part of a reciprocal relationship with forested landscapes, building with locally-harvested materials reduces GHG emissions in both manufacturing and transportation.
Spring is the time to select and harvest poles.
