Forest2Farm is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that supports sustainable practices for forest, soil, water, air, and climate. A primary focus for Forest2Farm is the practice of converting excess forest residue to a biochar that enriches farm soil while reducing wildfire risks. Such sustainable practices can prevent massive amounts of carbon (CO2) from entering the air and, instead, restore a healthy amount of soil organic matter and water to degraded soil.

Currently the most common practices for disposing of forest residue are to burn the unsellable waste or let it decompose. Both practices cause the carbon in the wood to convert to gasses which can pollute the air. An alternative practice for dealing with forest residue is to convert the woody debris to a char called biochar. The char is then planted in degraded farm soil to enrich the soil as the char becomes activated.

Forest2Farm also supports other sustainable practices. For example, using biomass to generate power and make biochar at the same time can be a Forest2Farm practice that can increase potential revenues from bio-energy investment. Another example of a Forest2Farm practice is to use biochar to reduce nitrogen run-off on farm land or on concentrated animal feed operations.

Forest residue, when heated at an appropriate temperature and with minimal oxygen, creates a stable material which resists decomposition, improves soil water-holding capacity, and increases soil organic matter. The resulting material, the biochar, is applied to degraded cropland, rangeland and forestland to improve soil nutrition and crop production. The biochar elevates soil health by improving the soil's ability to capture water and increases the amount of soil organic matter. Soil organic matter feeds and cares for soil organisms beneficial to crop production.

By converting forest residue to biochar, damage from forest fires can be greatly reduced because forest residue is "excess fuel" to power the most damaging wildfires.

Please help us move the Forest2Farm practices forward. Forest2Farm will give particular emphasis to supporting demonstrations and education for farmers, forestry personnel, educators, and policy makers regarding how a Forest2Farm approach can benefit forests, food production, soil health, water conservation, water purity, and the climate. Forest2Farm will also monitor progress and benefits from Forest2Farm practices.

Please contact R Jerry Adams, PhD (jadams@evalinstitute.com) for details. Please make a donation to this mission. Donations ARE tax deductible.

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