Augmenting soil with biochar generated from on-site pruning likely results in long-term carbon storage and changes in soil properties
Location
CELA & Mary Church Terrell Library, First Floor
Document Type
Poster - Open Access
Start Date
4-25-2025 12:00 PM
End Date
4-25-2025 2:00 PM
Abstract
Agricultural systems can result in greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change while also providing opportunities for mitigation. For example, fruit and nut orchards produce waste wood as a result of pruning and coppicing operations. We investigated two possible options for using this byproduct as a soil amendment to sequester soil carbon on-site. Specifically, following a baseline study by Balmuth et al. (2022), we compared the carbon sequestration potential and effects on soil moisture properties caused by adding either wood chips or biochar produced from orchard trimmings into the system's soil. Biochar is a carbon-rich solid produced by anaerobic combustion of organic waste. Although results can be highly variable, prior studies have found that biochar can remain sequestered in soil for hundreds or even thousands of years. In our system, an experimental hazelnut orchard maintained by Oberlin College, three separate treatments were investigated: soil amended with wood chips, soil amended with biochar, and a control. After sampling, soil organic matter (SOM) and soil moisture content were investigated. Our results showed that wood chips, which had been applied nearly five years earlier, showed little difference from the control with regards to either SOM or moisture content. However, three years after its application, plots containing biochar showed dramatically increased SOM and moisture content at depths of both 0-7.5 cm and 7.5-15 cm. These findings suggest that biochar is much more effective than wood chips as a tool for on site carbon sequestration and soil moisture enhancement in orchard systems.
Keywords:
Biochar, Carbon sequestration, Soil organic matter (SOM)
Recommended Citation
O'Brien, Kat; Coughlan, Nicholas; and Anfinson, Fern, "Augmenting soil with biochar generated from on-site pruning likely results in long-term carbon storage and changes in soil properties" (2025). Research Symposium. 15.
https://digitalcommons.oberlin.edu/researchsymp/2025/posters/15
Major
Biology
Project Mentor(s)
John Petersen, Environmental Studies and Biology
2025
Augmenting soil with biochar generated from on-site pruning likely results in long-term carbon storage and changes in soil properties
CELA & Mary Church Terrell Library, First Floor
Agricultural systems can result in greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change while also providing opportunities for mitigation. For example, fruit and nut orchards produce waste wood as a result of pruning and coppicing operations. We investigated two possible options for using this byproduct as a soil amendment to sequester soil carbon on-site. Specifically, following a baseline study by Balmuth et al. (2022), we compared the carbon sequestration potential and effects on soil moisture properties caused by adding either wood chips or biochar produced from orchard trimmings into the system's soil. Biochar is a carbon-rich solid produced by anaerobic combustion of organic waste. Although results can be highly variable, prior studies have found that biochar can remain sequestered in soil for hundreds or even thousands of years. In our system, an experimental hazelnut orchard maintained by Oberlin College, three separate treatments were investigated: soil amended with wood chips, soil amended with biochar, and a control. After sampling, soil organic matter (SOM) and soil moisture content were investigated. Our results showed that wood chips, which had been applied nearly five years earlier, showed little difference from the control with regards to either SOM or moisture content. However, three years after its application, plots containing biochar showed dramatically increased SOM and moisture content at depths of both 0-7.5 cm and 7.5-15 cm. These findings suggest that biochar is much more effective than wood chips as a tool for on site carbon sequestration and soil moisture enhancement in orchard systems.
