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Biochar Climate Solution

Turning Waste into Climate Solutions

Students and Ricardo stand by the biochar.
Biochar Workshop

November 4-5

Join Western Colorado University, Couldharbour Institute, and our partners for a two-day theory-to-practice biochar workshop that explores the technology, science, and practical applications of this potent regenerative material and its many benefits. This hands-on training workshop teaches the principles and benefits of biochar, including its production and application as a soil amendment and a tool for environmental remediation. Participants will gain hands-on experience using the ring-of-fire kiln and other kilns and learn how to apply biochar to improve soil.

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Western MEM Students Are Leading the Way with Biochar

Biochar isn’t just a byproduct; it’s a breakthrough. Through an innovative capstone project, students in Western Colorado University’s Master’s of Environmental Management (MEM) program are transforming wood waste into a practical, scalable, and deeply connected climate solution.

A biochar ring has wood on fire.

Biochar Basics & Student Projects

A team works on creating biochar.

What Is Biochar?

Biochar is a carbon-rich product made by heating organic materials, like wood chips, without oxygen, a process known as pyrolysis. When added to soil, biochar improves water retention, boosts soil fertility, and locks carbon in the ground for hundreds to thousands of years.

It’s a win-win for soil health and climate resilience.

A man teaches about the importance of biochar.

Real-World Impact

The MEM Biochar Project began with a simple question: What if students could turn an environmental challenge into a community asset?
This student-led capstone addresses waste and carbon drawdown in Gunnison, Colorado, where wildfire mitigation and forest thinning generate tons of woody debris. Students source local wood waste and process it into biochar, creating a sustainable resource for agricultural producers, gardeners, and land restoration efforts.
A man examines a biochar location.

Leading Change

This project puts students in the driver’s seat of sustainability. From collaborating with the U.S. Forest Service to testing biochar in local soils, MEM students gain hands-on experience in:
  • Environmental entrepreneurship
  • Community partnerships
  • Carbon sequestration research
  • Soil science and land restoration
  • Outreach and education

Growing Partnerships & Community Benefits

The biochar project is deeply integrated with local and regional initiatives. Western’s students partner with:
  • U.S. Forest Service and public land agencies
  • Local ranchers, farmers, and gardeners
  • Sustainable development coalitions
  • Wildfire mitigation and forest health programs
These partnerships help strengthen rural resilience while allowing MEM students to apply academic knowledge in real-world settings.

Student-Powered Biochar Capstone Project

What sets Western’s Master of Environmental Management program apart? Our students don’t just study climate solutions, they create them. They’re turning local forest residue into real, impactful tools like biochar that help communities build resilience and fight climate change. Dive into the whole narrative of Forest Biochar Potential for Gunnison County, a project designed and executed by MEM students, to see how they champion carbon sequestration, soil resilience, and community impact.

See the Capstone Project
Man creates biochar.

See Western's students in the news.

  • MEM alum, Brenan Bloyd, leads a stream resoration workshop next to Tomichi Creek on the Coldharbour ranch for the Headwaters 2025 Conference.

    Three Western Colorado University graduate students earn national River Studies and Leadership Certificate

    Across the West, the demand for professionals who can balance competing needs for water has never been greater. Now, three students in Western Colorado University’s…
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  • Group photo of students from various cohorts, faculty, and support staff of the NSF EMPLOYS program outside near the north patio of the Clark Family School of Environment & Sustainability.

    EMPLOYS: A Bridge Between Science and Management

    To the untrained eye, the stretch of Tomichi Creek that runs through Western’s Coldharbour Ranch looks pretty natural as it snakes back and forth between…
    Read More
  • A photo of a grove of changing aspens in the fall on Kebler Pass.

    A Burning Question: Western Colorado University researchers challenge long-held assumptions about wilderness, fire, and what it means to care for a landscape

    For decades, managing federal wilderness meant keeping our hands off and letting nature take its course, even when there were signs of trouble. But a…
    Read More
  • Brooke Zantelle with the group of cohorts at the conference.

    Glacier National Park Seminar Deepens Faculty Expertise in Public Lands

    While Dr. Brooke Zanetell was sitting around a campfire at the Stewardship of Public Lands seminar in Glacier National Park earlier this summer, she realized…
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  • Beaupré hangs a trail camera on a tree to monitor wildlife.

    New Study Shows the Impact Trail Recreation Has on Deer, Elk in the Gunnison Basin

    The Gunnison Valley is famous for the network of trails that wind their way through the surrounding mountains. But how do all of those trails…
    Read More
An aspen forest during peak fall colors.

Learn More & Get Involved

Interested in using biochar? Want to collaborate on environmental innovation?
Explore the MEM Program or contact the project team to learn how you can participate in this climate-positive initiative.
Master of Environmental Management