DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — Douglas County leaders on Wednesday broke ground on a new biochar facility off of Highway 85 in Sedalia.
County leaders hope the new facility will become a sustainable solution for wildfire mitigation debris.
"It started with a bold idea that we could take wildfire threats that scar our landscape and transform that risk into resilience," said Abe Laydon, chairman of the Douglas County Board of County Commissioners, during the groundbreaking ceremony.
The county hopes to open the facility in the spring of 2026. At that time, it will become the first county-operated biochar facility in the U.S.
"We're going to turn risk into resource," said Laydon.
To better understand what biochar is all about, Denver7 reached out to an agriculture and natural resource specialist at Colorado State University.
"You can think of it as a specialty charcoal," said Derek Lowstuter with CSU. "You've probably made it unintentionally in your fireplace or in a campfire."
Biochar is created by heating wood or plant material in an oxygen-free environment, according to Lowstuter. Carbon captured from that process becomes biochar, similar to charcoal. However, unlike charcoal, which is used as fuel, biochar is used to enhance soil.
"It's a way to improve the nutrient and water-holding capacity of soil," Lowstuter explained.
Douglas County residents told Denver7 they're looking forward to having this sustainable solution.
"We do have a lot of residents down 67 and 105 that have done their own fire mitigation and need places to take this because the dumpsters won’t take it," said AJ Opp, who lives in Sedalia.
Beyond the residential benefit, Opp said it will also be a big help to commercial businesses. He works for Knothead Tree And Lawn Care, often removing debris from properties across the county.
"I think it is a great solution... to have a place that would be year-round is very beneficial to the entire community of Douglas County," said Opp.
