Biochar Working Group on Salt spring island
Biochar working group
We’re a community-led group focused on sharing the benefits of biochar—a special type of charcoal used to improve soil health and store carbon. Whether you're a home gardener, land steward, or just curious, biochar offers a practical, low-tech way to turn wood waste into something beneficial for your soil and the climate.
Members and volunteers are needed throughout the year for our various events, education, and activities. Contact Brian Smallshaw to get involved!
Teaching, Sharing & Supporting Biochar Use
Hands-On Workshops - We host seasonal workshops where participants learn to turn wood waste into biochar using open cavity kilns. These outdoor sessions cover safe kiln use, application tips, and how biochar improves soil health.
Community Education - We offer talks, demos, and resources on the benefits of biochar for soil, climate, and wildfire resilience—supporting gardeners, farmers, and curious learners alike.
Kiln Sharing & Outreach - We’re building a network of community-accessible kilns on Salt Spring and beyond, making it more accessible for people to produce biochar instead of burning yard waste.
Regional Support - We collaborate with other communities to support the adoption of biochar practices by sharing kilns, offering guidance, and helping organize local workshops.
Get involved with biochar
Want to try making biochar, borrow a kiln, or host a workshop? Here’s how to connect:
- Join a local biochar workshop
- Request a kiln for your neighbourhood
- Organize a community demo or talk
- Help spread the word about biochar’s benefits
BioChar Stories
Reducing Wildfire Risks & Biochar: TSS Members Travel to Clearwater, BC, to Talk About Forest Resiliency
On April 5th and 6th, Grace Fields, the TSS Project Coordinator for the Climate Adaptation Research Lab (CARL), and Brian Smallshaw (Biochar Working Group Lead) travelled up to Clearwater, BC, to speak to community members…
Biochar Kilns
(Biochar is charcoal that is produced by burning biomass in the absence of oxygen; it is used as a soil amendment. Biochar is a stable solid that is rich in carbon and can endure in soil for thousands of years. Biochar is being investigated as a…
Environmentally Friendly Ways to Deal with Woody Debris
As published in the Gulf Islands Driftwood, January 23, 2019, p. 7- also from https://saltspringconservancy.ca/environmentally-friendly-ways-to-deal-with-woody-debris/ With so many branches and trees down from the big storm, it’s important to be Fire-Smart and remove woody debris from…