To meet the target of the Paris agreement and limit global average temperature increase to below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels, a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the implementation of strategies for atmospheric greenhouse gas removal are urgently needed. The production of biochar, the carbon-rich product of the pyrolysis of biomass, is included within the so-called bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (CCS), indicated in the mitigation scenarios of the IPCC. Forest operations and wood harvesting produce high amounts of forest residues (through thinning and preparation of tree logs after the cutting), which can be used as a feedstock for pyrolysis or gasification to obtain bioenergy and biochar. Biochar can be applied to agricultural soils, increasing fertility and carbon storage potential. This process would potentially help with developing a wood-based circular economy in agroforestry systems, fast growing forest plantations, climate-smart forestry, and in regions where forestry and agriculture are intertwined.
The aim of this Research Topic is to gather contributions dealing with the links between biochar and forestry in a wide perspective, helping to clarify the uncertainties about biochar suitability for CCS in the forestry sector. Wood from different species and from different forest residues can have different properties when transformed to biochar and applied to the soil and will behave differently in different soils. Can forests be not only the source of biochar’s feedstock but also the target for its application to the soil? Also, pyrogenic carbon can play a role in the ecology of fire-prone forest ecosystems, therefore, studying the interactions between plants, soils, and char in such systems can bring useful information. Additionally, biochar-amended substrate may help grow containerized seedlings in tree nurseries and contribute to forest restoration and land reclamation initiatives. The potential of biochar for improving urban soil quality and tree growth needs also to be better explored. The capacity of biochar to absorb chemicals is also of great interest for remediation of contaminated soils. The potential of biochar in forest-based value chains (marketing of biochar for horticultural and agricultural use, and urban forestry applications) has additional potential advantages.
A variety of manuscript formats for this Research Topic are welcomed. We invite Original Research and Methods manuscripts dealing with characterization of biochar from forest biomasses and their application to different soils, both in laboratory incubations and field applications. Review articles are encouraged to summarize the state of knowledge in biochar research related to forests and soils. Perspective papers would envisage the opportunities that biochar can generate in the forestry sector, related to carbon sequestration and circular economy.
We invite papers that deal with the topics below:
• Biochar effect on soil greenhouse gas emissions
• Biochar longevity in soils
• Biochar production from forest residues
• Biochar interactions with soil biota
• Impact of biochar on soil nutrients and mineral nutrition
• Impact of biochar on tree growth
• Impact of biochar on soil quality (retention of chemicals and
water, physical properties)
• Biochar potential for soil rehabilitation and forest restoration
• Role of biochar in carbon sequestration and biomass production.
To meet the target of the Paris agreement and limit global average temperature increase to below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels, a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the implementation of strategies for atmospheric greenhouse gas removal are urgently needed. The production of biochar, the carbon-rich product of the pyrolysis of biomass, is included within the so-called bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (CCS), indicated in the mitigation scenarios of the IPCC. Forest operations and wood harvesting produce high amounts of forest residues (through thinning and preparation of tree logs after the cutting), which can be used as a feedstock for pyrolysis or gasification to obtain bioenergy and biochar. Biochar can be applied to agricultural soils, increasing fertility and carbon storage potential. This process would potentially help with developing a wood-based circular economy in agroforestry systems, fast growing forest plantations, climate-smart forestry, and in regions where forestry and agriculture are intertwined.
The aim of this Research Topic is to gather contributions dealing with the links between biochar and forestry in a wide perspective, helping to clarify the uncertainties about biochar suitability for CCS in the forestry sector. Wood from different species and from different forest residues can have different properties when transformed to biochar and applied to the soil and will behave differently in different soils. Can forests be not only the source of biochar’s feedstock but also the target for its application to the soil? Also, pyrogenic carbon can play a role in the ecology of fire-prone forest ecosystems, therefore, studying the interactions between plants, soils, and char in such systems can bring useful information. Additionally, biochar-amended substrate may help grow containerized seedlings in tree nurseries and contribute to forest restoration and land reclamation initiatives. The potential of biochar for improving urban soil quality and tree growth needs also to be better explored. The capacity of biochar to absorb chemicals is also of great interest for remediation of contaminated soils. The potential of biochar in forest-based value chains (marketing of biochar for horticultural and agricultural use, and urban forestry applications) has additional potential advantages.
A variety of manuscript formats for this Research Topic are welcomed. We invite Original Research and Methods manuscripts dealing with characterization of biochar from forest biomasses and their application to different soils, both in laboratory incubations and field applications. Review articles are encouraged to summarize the state of knowledge in biochar research related to forests and soils. Perspective papers would envisage the opportunities that biochar can generate in the forestry sector, related to carbon sequestration and circular economy.
We invite papers that deal with the topics below:
• Biochar effect on soil greenhouse gas emissions
• Biochar longevity in soils
• Biochar production from forest residues
• Biochar interactions with soil biota
• Impact of biochar on soil nutrients and mineral nutrition
• Impact of biochar on tree growth
• Impact of biochar on soil quality (retention of chemicals and
water, physical properties)
• Biochar potential for soil rehabilitation and forest restoration
• Role of biochar in carbon sequestration and biomass production.
