Biochar soil amendment analysis for water retention, infiltration, and carbon sequestration. Three different biochars were used: Oregon Rogue, Privet, and Ash, with controls for Undisturbed and Tilled soil. Data collected between September and November 2023.
The study was conducted over a period of two months to measure compaction, infiltration, moisture retention, and vegetation growth for soil amendment test plots treated with biochar created from various feedstocks, including ash, privet, and a commercially produced wood biochar, Oregon Rogue (OR). A tilled soil plot was tested as the control. Results found that overall, compaction increased with time in all treatment sites and at all depths. The soil amended with OR showed the least compaction of all test plots over the project period. Infiltration rate decreased dramatically with time for tilled, ash, and privet test sites, however not as dramatically in the OR test site. Moisture retention (Volumetric Water Content) study results indicate all biochar amendments increased water retention of soils over the control tilled soil, with the most significant effects observed for privet biochar. More monitoring is needed to evaluate how the different biochars perform with changing seasons.
