Monterey County Now: Researchers are banding together to turn fire-prone eucalyptus into biochar for use by local growers.

Eucalyptus are notorious trees familiar to most Californians. They are visually striking and aromatic, invasive and fast growing. They’re known to be oily and incredibly messy – as a result, highly flammable – thereby placing them in the crosshairs of wildfire mitigation groups, city planners and residents alike. Counties across the state have deployed all sorts of eucalyptus grove removal projects. But what to do with all of that leftover biomass is a question the Elkhorn Slough Foundation has become uniquely well positioned to answer, thanks to its access to agricultural lands and partnerships with researchers. A carbonator, which looks like a large dumpster, heats up organic material in low-oxygen conditions (so as not to release CO2), turning it into a charcoal product known as biochar (sequestering the carbon and enriching the soil). Read ON.