The Biochar Handbook
A Practical Guide to Making and Using Bioactivated Charcoal
With extensive research, real-world examples and hands-on applications, this is the definitive guide to biochar — from backyard gardens to forest restoration, written by one of the world’s most experienced practitioners.
“This is by far the best book on biochar I’ve ever seen — everyone from newbies to those who have been in the industry for years will learn a lot.”Kathleen Draper — Co-author of Burn · Former International Biochar Initiative Board Chair
Hear it from Kelpie
Watch Kelpie Wilson introduce the world of biochar — what it is, why it matters, and how this book can transform the way you work with soil.
“The carbon fields are wide open, waiting for you to dream them.”— Kelpie Wilson, The Biochar Handbook
Praise for The Biochar Handbook
“A formidable scholar and mechanical engineer, Kelpie Wilson has a way with words that few with either of those skills can equal. I would read her just to enjoy her style and humor, even if the subject were not so urgent.”
“A brief yet thorough introduction to the history, science, and practicalities of biochar-making and its tremendous potential to restore degraded soils. Highly recommended.”
“I would not be at all surprised to see The Biochar Handbook turn into the classic text in this burgeoning field. A balanced, intelligent, and practical guide.”
“Wilson makes a compelling case that biochar is both simple to make and a potent solution to a host of knotty problems, both global and close to home.”
Why I Wrote
The Biochar Handbook
Ever since I first made my own biochar and started experimenting with it — back in 2008 — I learned and kept notes and pictures of the results. When I started working with the International Biochar Initiative, my job was to help research scientists communicate their findings to the public. I was able to ask top researchers like Johannes Lehmann and Stephen Joseph all of my questions about biochar and how it works.
I started sharing my knowledge through workshops in my community and soon I was in demand to give workshops wherever I could travel to. I made handouts with important information and eventually put them together with some magazine articles I had written into a 100-page book — printed locally and sold for the cost of printing.
After selling a few hundred of these, I sent a copy to Chelsea Green to see if they were interested. They were. I spent the next year writing The Biochar Handbook and working with Chelsea Green’s excellent editorial team to fine-tune it into the highly readable, visually appealing book that went to number one in Soil Science on Amazon.
The Biochar Handbook is written for a wide audience — home gardeners, farmers and ranchers, forest and land managers, entrepreneurs, composters, engineers, inventors and researchers. It is heavily referenced with hundreds of citations, but as a professional writer and journalist, I have also tried to keep it easy to read and engaging with interesting current and historical stories and examples.
“Biochar is my latest and best effort to address the problems that I see — mostly because of what it has done for my garden, but also because I have so much fun making it and sharing it.”
— Kelpie Wilson, The Biochar HandbookEverything you need to work with biochar
Whether you’re a gardener, homesteader, rancher, commercial farmer, permaculturalist, or forest manager — this book will show you exactly how to put biochar to work.
Soil & Garden
Applications for soil water retention, pest deterrence, compost enhancement, and producing the best compost ever made.
Making Biochar
Step-by-step instructions on making biochar yourself, including low-cost recipes for Cultured Biochar and Sustainable Potting Soil.
Ecosystem Restoration
Real-world examples of ecosystem restoration, improved forest management and reducing wildfire risk.
Carbon Sequestration
Restoring soil carbon, reducing fossil fuel dependence, and locking carbon away for 1,000 years — at any scale.
Farm & Ranch
Managing manure, weaning farms off toxic inputs, and practical tips for commercial farmers and ranchers.
History & Science
A pocket history from Amazon terra preta to ancient dark earths in Africa, Asia and Europe — and the science behind it all.
“Let’s change our perspective: from ‘too much carbon in the air’ to ‘not enough carbon in the soil.’ We are good at being miners and exploiting resources — so let’s mine the air and stash the carbon back in our soil.”— Kelpie Wilson, The Biochar Handbook
A textbook for the regenerative age
The Biochar Handbook is ideal as a textbook for college courses, AP high school programmes and homeschool curricula. Combined with the Practical Biochar online course, it provides a comprehensive, hands-on education in one of the most important environmental topics of our time.
It is perfectly suited to meeting STEAM objectives — covering science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics through the lens of biochar and regenerative land practice.
Pair the book with the online course for a complete biochar education.
View Practical Biochar Course →Biochar in Education Resources →
Written for anyone who works with land
If you grow food, manage land, raise animals, or care about the health of the soil beneath your feet — this book was written for you. Practical, science-backed and deeply readable.
“When it comes right down to it, humus is more valuable than gold.”— Kelpie Wilson, The Biochar Handbook
Kelpie Wilson
Kelpie Wilson is a mechanical engineer and analyst with 35 years of experience in renewable energy, sustainable forestry and resource conservation. She has worked in the biochar industry since 2008 and was a founding board member of the US Biochar Initiative.
Based on her homestead in southwest Oregon, she manages the Biochar in the Woods network and presents biochar workshops each year to farmers, foresters and landowners across the US.
Read the full story →The definitive guide to biochar.
Get your copy today.
Available from Amazon and Chelsea Green Publishing — the leading publisher of books on sustainable living, organic farming and regenerative agriculture.