This month Wakefield BioChar started using blockchain to track inbound wood waste shipments from timber mills that are used to create BioChar, a soil amendment used by farmers that absorbs carbon dioxide. The ForesTrust blockchain is a consortium solution launched by the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities and developed by Chainparency.
BioChar uses wood waste that would otherwise go to landfills and heats it to a high temperature to create BioChar. While that sounds like it’s polluting in itself, it uses a process called pyrolysis that restricts oxygen intake, making it smolder, which can make the heating process self sustaining. The environmental benefit comes from the ability of the soil amendment to absorb CO2 for a very long time. However, it is not without controversy (see later).
In this case, the ForesTrust blockchain is used to pilot the tracking of wood waste from lumber mills. But in other cases, it is used to prove that wood is sustainably produced without unnecessary deforestation. Paper firm Domtar was the founding member of ForesTrust, and this week the network signed up Thompson Appalachian, a hardwood lumber product producer. Logging events on a public blockchain enables transparency into the provenance of the wood used.
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