BIOCHAR

“Biochar as a tool for soil quality; can the biochar be used for increasing tree stand productivity and storing carbon into the soil” is a project funded by the Foundation for Research of Natural Resources in Finland (Suomen Luonnonvarain tutkimussäätiö) (2015-2018)

The aim of this project is to study the effect of charcoal (industrially produced biochar) on the decomposition of SOM in boreal forests. We are studying the changes in the size and quality of soil carbon and nitrogen pools as a result of charcoal addition to soil. The aim is to know: a) how the amount of native SOM changes after biochar addition b) how sensitive is the de-composition of native SOM to the newly added charcoal c) how carbon and nitrogen accumulation and turnover in the soil and in the vegetation develop during the years following the charcoal application in the soil and d) how much the biochar addition increase the accumulation of biomass to the trees.

Principal investigator: Prof. Jukka Pumpanen (University of Eastern Finland)

Project members: Frank Berninger, Kajar Köster, Egle Köster, Marjo Palviainen