DeepForest.org · CAL FIRE Forest Health FY 2025–26 · Calaveras County, CA · TCU Unit
Critical fuels reduction & on-site biochar conversion — 1,712 acres across 6 private landowners
This project proposes landscape-scale wildfire risk reduction in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Calaveras County, CA. Forest biomass removed during fuels reduction is converted on-site into biochar — a stable form of carbon that locks atmospheric CO2 in soil for 1,000+ years. The work restores forests degraded by Gold Rush-era hydraulic mining and protects communities along the Highway 4 corridor from catastrophic fire.
CCI grant request
$7M
+ $2M in matching funds
Treatment area
1,712
acres across 77 treatment regions on 6 properties
Carbon sequestered
>3,082
metric tons CO2e locked in soil permanently via biochar
Biochar production
2,633
on-site kiln burns — forest debris converted to stable carbon
Local jobs
7,263
crew-days at prevailing wage for hand crews & kiln operators
Timeline
48
months across 4 phases: survey, fuels reduction, biochar, prescribed fire
Treatment scope by acreage
Acreage by property
On-site biochar program
Production area
1,245 ac
Biochar produced
1,000+ tons
Carbon storage
1,000+ yrs
PM emission cut
~90%
Flame-cap ring kilns deployed on-site eliminate transportation emissions. Biochar applied to 1,531 ac of soil depleted by Gold Rush-era hydraulic mining, restoring fertility for partner vineyards and rangelands.
48-month implementation phasing
Months 1–6
Survey & planning
Drone surveys, 3D spatial AI mapping, archaeological & biological surveys, CEQA initiation with CAL FIRE
Months 7–18
Fuels reduction begins
Priority WUI zones treated; robotic pruning validated alongside ISA-certified hand crews in accessible zones
Months 12–36
Biochar scale-up
2,633 kiln loads across 1,245 acres; concurrent soil biochar integration across 1,531 ac
Months 24–48
Prescribed burns
Burn prep on 144 ac; prescribed fire executed on 52 ac during optimal weather windows
Community & ecosystem co-benefits
Murphys, CA
~2,200 residents protected along with Avery, Hathaway Pines & Arnold. Hwy 4 & Murphys Grade Rd evacuation routes secured with AI smoke detection network.
3.4 miles creek
San Domingo & Indian Creek riparian zones restored across 103 ac. Himalayan blackberry & Bull Thistle removed. Calaveras County Water District watershed protected.
Open science
Spatial AI mapping, robotic pruning, and biochar methodology shared via local workshops and peer-reviewed publications for Sierra Nevada foothills replication.
Biochar carbon sequestration — how we calculated the CO2e estimate
Starting from the acres tagged for on-site biochar production, each step below converts biomass into permanently stored carbon:
| Parameter | Value | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Kiln loads per acre | 2.114 | Flame-cap ring kiln capacity for mixed conifer/oak forest biomass at ~30 tons/acre fuel load |
| Biochar per kiln load | 0.38 metric tons | Ring kiln ~2 tons feedstock × ~19% conversion by mass |
| Fixed carbon fraction | 84% | High-temperature ring kiln biochar (>600°C); literature range 75–90% |
| CO2 per carbon | 3.667 | Molecular weight ratio: 44/12 = 3.667 |
| Biochar persistence | 1,000+ years | Mean residence time for high-carbon biochar in soil (Lehmann et al.) |
| PM emission reduction | ~90% | Flame-cap kiln vs. open pile burning (Wilson 2017, Cornelissen et al. 2016) |
Biochar production area (1,245 acres) includes all regions tagged for on-site biochar conversion. Soil biochar application area (1,531 acres) is larger because biochar is also transported to nearby treatment zones. Crew day estimates use per-treatment-type labor rates and count only the primary treatment activity per region to avoid double-counting. All values are computed dynamically from the treatment plan KML (77 regions).