Dear Friend,

As the seasons change, we’re entering an exciting time here at Kulshan Carbon Trust. Although we will certainly miss summer around the Salish Sea and in the North Cascade mountains, the KCT team is pleased to welcome autumn, knowing that the burn ban will be lifted and we can resume our community biochar demonstrations. If you haven’t had a chance to join us around the Ring of Fire, please check out the upcoming event listed below!

This past quarter has been filled with progress, anticipation, and some fun. We’ve taken soil samples, applied for grants, tabled at local markets, built strategic alliances, and enjoyed our splendid surroundings. Our work has focused on local growers as we assess the value added by using biochar-enhanced compost. We are also busy engaging with local business leaders to build a robust biochar supply chain. Learn more by reading further.

Please mark your calendars. KCT’s annual fundraiser is coming up on November 12th. With our operating budget running low, your support can make a tremendous difference. If you are available, please attend our fun-filled, community-building event at the Squalicum Boathouse and, in any case, consider making a donation to the Kulshan Carbon Trust at this pivotal time.

Best regards,

Howard Sharfstein,

Co-Founder & President

Upcoming Events

KCT In Action

Biochar Scale-Up Project: Thanks to funding from the Russell Family Foundation, KCT has been working to increase demand for biochar in the agricultural community. Participating farmers have praised the performance of biochar-enhanced compost and the initial lab data for this valuable new soil amendment is now available. The results are encouraging. So far, all indicators show stable or improved results compared to standard compost. Jess Oman has been hard at work collecting the second round of soil samples, and we anticipate those results within 6–8 weeks.

In addition, we have engaged a financial expert to support local business leaders' efforts to develop one or more medium- or high-tech biochar facilities in our region. Added biochar production capacity would accelerate our goal of achieving a circular economy for biomass residuals in our bioregion.

On top of this, our interns, funded by the Sustainable Path Foundation, did some great work over the summer exploring value-added biochar applications, regenerative agriculture opportunities, and more, culminating in a final presentation in late August. Big thanks to Kenny Nichol and Eli Bootsma for their excellent research and meaningful contribution to helping KCT envision future regeneration projects in our service area.

Community Biochar Program: The Diobsud Firewise USA® community is performing a biochar kiln demonstration in Marblemount on October 25th. As part of the demonstration, the community is hosting a potluck lunch. Please contact Robert Walters (rwalters@whatcomcd.org) for further details.

Additionally, we’re pleased to announce that residents of Skagit County can now borrow a Ring of Fire biochar kiln from the Skagit Conservation District free of charge. This is one of the original goals of our 2023 Community Biochar Program, and we’re thrilled to see it come to fruition. A huge thank you to Nick Kunz from the Skagit Conservation District staff for his dedication and hard work in making this possible! We anticipate that Whatcom Conservation District will adopt a similar policy soon, and we’ll keep you updated. We highly recommend attending at least one kiln demonstration (like the event listed above) for safety and training purposes.

Biochar Pilot Project: The final pieces for crediting the Biochar Pilot Project are coming together! You can now check out our project page on the Regen Registry here. The final step is an internal verification process to ensure the accuracy of our facts and figures. Once we have validated data integrity, the North Cascades Institute plans to purchase and retire these eco-credits to offset much of their climate impact.

Tabling Events: In the past two months, KCT has attended and engaged community members at three local weekend markets. We raised awareness about the Biochar Scale-Up Project and our organization’s work more broadly. It was wonderful to connect with our community, have meaningful conversations, and build new relationships. If you’ve recently joined our newsletter after meeting us at one of these events, welcome!

Fundraiser: An amazing volunteer, AJ Meyer, has been leading our outreach team in planning this year’s fundraiser—a NW Washington trivia bingo night at the Squalicum Boathouse in beautiful Zuanich Point Park! The event will feature local beer donated by our friends at Kulshan Brewing Co. and Fairhaven Stones Throw Brewery, along with hearty snacks from the Community Food Co-op. In addition to the fun-filled and interesting trivia-bingo game, we’ll also be hosting a silent auction and offering an excellent opportunity to mingle with like-minded folks. If you haven’t already done so, please get your tickets here!

We’re Growing

Check out the height difference between the biochar-enhanced compost grown tomatoes on the left vs the traditional compost grown tomatoes on the right!

While it’s too late to participate in our field trials, you can still pickup Biochar-Enhanced Compost for all your fall plantings from Skagit Soils!

Trajectory Tracker

Wildfire Fuel Reduction: We’re closely tracking the growing momentum around hazardous wildfire fuel reduction efforts. This waste biomass material presents a promising opportunity as a feedstock for biochar production, both at individual and community scales. The U.S. Forest Service, along with the Department of Natural Resources, and our local county officials are increasingly focused on this work as part of a broader fire mitigation strategy.

Growing Biochar Markets: While our primary focus for biochar application has been in agriculture, our summer interns identified three additional markets to monitor: animal agriculture, stormwater management, and construction. Do you have insights or expertise in any of these sectors? We’d love to hear from you—reach out to us at contact@kulshancarbontrust.org.

Biochar Eco-Credits: Biochar is increasingly recognized as a leading technology for carbon removal at various scales. We aim to leverage this growing interest by shifting the conversation from traditional carbon credits—which primarily value carbon sequestration—to eco-credits. These eco-credits command a premium by valuing the diverse co-benefits and ecosystem services that biochar applications offer, depending on the specific context.

Increasing Biochar Adoption: The Washington Tree Farm Program Fall Seminar kicked off a few weeks ago with an excellent presentation and overview of all things biochar by Derek Pierson at the U.S. Forest Service. We highly recommend watching the recording here. Additionally, a new project by the American Farmland Trust seeks to “Support, demonstrate, and evaluate success of adoption” of biochar in key states across the US. Read more about the project here.

On the Horizon

Multi-year Grants: We’re pleased to announce that we have been awarded one of the two multiyear grants we applied for this spring! While final details are still being sorted, this funding will increase KCT’s carbon accounting and monitoring capabilities while strengthening relationships with leading organizations throughout our region. Stay tuned!

Executive Director Recruitment: With a major project on the horizon, we’re anxious to bring an executive director on board. We have begun our efforts to secure funding to hire an ED, and recruitment is one of our major goals for 2024 - 2025. If you or someone you know may be a good fit for this position, please reach out to us!

Board Building: KCT is expanding our board membership! We encourage you to consider applying to join our Board of Directors. In addition, we urgently seek a Treasurer to fill an upcoming vacancy. If you think you may be a good fit for this position, please reach out to us!

Recommended Reads

Reading

• Regrow's Anastasia Volkova: To cool the planet, regenerative agriculture 'has to come as standard’ - Reuters

• How This Company Uses Biochar To Reverse Soil Degradation - Forbes

• These states tried, and failed, to cut food waste. One succeeded. - The Washington Post

• How biochar — the ‘Swiss Army knife of climate tools’ — is growing in Minnesota — MPR

Listening

• What if we get climate change right? - The Gray Area

• What’s the deal with burning wood pellets for energy? - Volts

• How Lab-Grown Cotton can Decarbonize Textiles - Climate Rising

• Bioregional Finance with Samantha Power - Refi Podcast

• The recipe for a healthy climate starts at the dinner table - TED Talks Daily

• Rooted in Connection: Exploring the Hidden Ties in Earth's Forests with Suzanne Simard — The Great Simplifcation

• Ecoweaving with Tony Lai - Regeneration Nexus

KCT Spotlight: Jess Oman

We are excited to introduce Jess, who joined KCT earlier this year as our Science Communications Fellow, bringing her expertise to the Biochar Scale-Up Project. With a background in the agricultural sector and a degree in Natural Resources, Jess has proven to be the perfect fit for this role. Her initiative and dedication have been instrumental to the project’s success. We’re thrilled to have Jess’s valuable experience and remarkable skills as part of our team as she transitions into a permanent role with Kulshan Carbon Trust.

“The emphasis on place-based, innovative, approachable, and collaborative natural climate solutions is what drew me to work for KCT. I am inspired to become a driving force behind an organization designed for local climate action that can be adapted and adopted anywhere. The aspect of our work that excites me the most is working alongside so many kindred people and organizations that bring great ideas for addressing the generational challenge of climate disruption.” – Jess Oman

Double Your Donation

Every donation made through November will be matched dollar-for-dollar, doubling your contribution’s power. Your support during this crucial time helps our young nonprofit grow and make a greater difference. Together, we can achieve more — thank you for standing with us!

You can make a one-time, quarterly, or annual tax-deductible donation using the link above. Our processor supports a variety of payment methods including Credit/Debit, Paypal, Venmo, & Apple Pay.

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