Working alongside Wildsight, Youth Climate Corps, and the Innovative BioChar Project
- Creston Community Forest
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
We are proud to have our team work alongside and partner with the supporting organizations on this innovative and educational Biochar project. "Wood waste is collected and loaded into specially designed kilns that convert wood into biochar..."
To read the full article, "Can forest waste help build healthier soils?" released June 24, 2026 by Lorene Keitch, explaining our collaboration with Wildsight Youth Climate Corps, see the link below.
"The Creston Community Forest is a local treasure. Spanning 21,000 hectares near the rural community of Creston, B.C, its network of trails makes it a popular recreation destination. The nonprofit-run forest also supports local jobs and generates revenue that’s fed back into the community.
The creative and community-focused approach here makes it fertile ground to test out a technology that could help turn wood waste into an economic driver for the region.
The problem
Wood waste produced as a result of industrial logging operations or wildfire risk reduction efforts is often simply piled and burned. This practice creates smoke and releases greenhouse gas emissions with no beneficial outcomes other than getting rid of unwanted material.
As climate conditions change, improving soil health and water retention is becoming increasingly important. In Creston’s fertile valley, farms are facing hotter summers, longer dry periods and growing pressure on water supplies. Finding ways to adapt to expanded stressors is becoming more imperative to BC agriculture’s bottom line. This is where biochar comes in.
Fire for Healthy Soils project
In partnership with the Creston Community Forest (CCF) and the Regional District of Central Kootenay, Wildsight is exploring the transformation of wood waste into biochar — a carbon-rich form of charcoal that may improve soil health, increase water retention and store carbon.
The Fire for Healthy Soils project began in 2025 with a feasibility study that found growing interest in biochar among farmers, foresters and local organizations, while also highlighting the need for local trials to demonstrate both biochar’s effectiveness and economic viability...."
