Biochar Network NZ returns to Fieldays Forestry Hub

Fieldays Forestry Hub 2026: Biochar fixes carbon

Biochar Network New Zealand is looking forward to exhibiting at the MPI Forestry Hub again at the Fieldays from 10-13 June, 2026. The Forestry Hub will showcase the sector's vital roles in agriculture, construction, energy and carbon management, giving visitors the chance to explore the many aspects of forestry and wood processing in NZ, including biochar.
Biochar, a form of charcoal made by heating biomass such as wood residues in a low-oxygen process, is one of few negative emissions technologies (NETs) recognised by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as safe, scalable, and effective. Biochar safely stores up to half the carbon in its source material for hundreds - and even thousands - of years. Biochar is the world’s leading carbon dioxide removal (CDR) method (https://www.cdr.fyi/leaderboards) monetised in credits on international voluntary markets, with certificates trading at over $250 per tonne.
In New Zealand and globally, biochar made from forestry residues is used for a variety of regenerative agriculture applications, saving farmers money, increasing productivity and protecting the environment. "An attractive feature of biochar production is that it also yields significant amounts of useful energy, which can be used for electricity generation or process heat," according to BNNZ chair Phil Stevens. "Timber processors in particular can get multiple income streams from what has been regarded as a waste product, and in the current energy situation that makes our case even more compelling."
Stevens notes the growing market for biochar applications in the primary sector as proof that scaling up commercial production will tap latent demand. "Many farmers are feeding it to their stock and reporting several direct benefits: increased weight gain, higher milk production, better overall health, and lower incidence of intestinal parasites," he says. "The animals then do the work of spreading it around the farm, and once the carbon is in the soil it enhances fertility for the long term."
BNNZ commercial members Southland Carbon have again donated a 1000L bag of their premium biochar for a lucky prize winner and BiocharTP will be returning with their demonstrator Air Curtain Burner to show how the forestry sector's slash problem can be turned into environmental improvement, regional jobs, and increased revenue.
After a successful "Char-B-Q" outing at the 2025 Fieldays, BNNZ will be once again be demonstrating live action biochar production with the spare heat going to cook venison sausages made from deer culled in North Island forestry blocks. Sausages will be handed out to everyone dropping by the exhibit around midday, and samples of the biochar will also be available. The BNNZ team will also be presenting in the Forestry Hub main stage on biochar production and its applications to agriculture and the natural environment. Schedules will be posted ahead of the event.
For more information about biochar, visit the Biochar Network New Zealand stand at Fieldays Forestry Hub (G80), or online at www.biochar.net.nz

Media release contact: Trevor Richards secretary@biochar.net.nz 
BIOCHAR FIXES CARBON

© Scoop Media