Understanding Biochar

We are postponing this event until the fall. We look forward to offering more wonderful educational and cultural programs and encourage you to check our program line up often.

Biochar is at once a tool for managing woody landscape waste and is also a direct means of sequestering carbon, all while increasing the fertility of your soils for many years to come.  Biochar is a powerful soil amendment with two unique properties: it is a stable, non-biodegradable form of carbon with an immense internal surface area.  Learn to harness the potential of biochar in your gardens with this half-day workshop presented by regional biochar specialist Dan Hettinger.  From start to finish, Dan will demonstrate simple, low-cost methods of producing quality biochar and cover the basics of conditioning for various agricultural applications.

For nearly 10 years, Dan managed the Living Web Farm’s biochar production facility, one of the first and longest running facilities of its kind in the United States.  Today, out of his small shop in Weaverville NC, Dan operates Circle Works LLC, a small firm that develops appropriate technology for creating value from waste streams and maximizing small farm efficiency.  

Dan is a biochar specialist; an experienced educator, professional fabricator, gardener, and amateur artist.  He manages the WNC Repair Cafe, plays guitar in a band for fun, and is raising two children with his wife, Summer.