Park District Uses Carbonator To Dispose Of Dead, Dying Trees

CASTRO VALLEY, CA — The East Bay Regional Park District has a big problem: over 1,500 acres of dead and dying trees due to the recent multi-year drought. Traditionally, dead trees were cut down, piled up and wither burned in place or hauled away in diesel fueled trucks.

The park district went in search of a more environmentally-friendly method of dealing with the issue and came up with the carbonator, a new machine that burns organic matter at extremely high temperatures — about 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit — which results in very low greenhouse gas emissions.

In December, it was being used at Anthony Chabot Regional Park to dispose of vegetation from a 365-acre fuels reduction project. "The project at Anthony Chabot Regional Park is a first-of-its-kind project in the Bay Area," said Park District General Manager Sabrina Landreth. "As the largest regional park district in the nation and a local leader in wildfire prevention, we knew we needed to find an innovative solution for disposing of the vegetation from our fuels reduction projects."

The burned material is reduced to biochar, which is used within the Park District as a soil enhancer. One current use of the biochar is at Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont where it is used to enhance soil health and crop productivity.

"The carbonator is an innovative fuels reduction tool to address wildfire risks and combat climate change," said Chief Aileen Theile. "We are always looking for innovative ways to address wildfire dangers and reduce wildfire risks for the community."

The Park District encompasses both Alameda and Contra Costa counties and manages 73 parks, 1,330 miles of trails, and over 125,000 acres. The District has its own fire department and fuels management crew.

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