By order of Sheriff Darren Weekly, Stage 1 Fire Restrictions are in place for unincorporated areas of Douglas County. Ordinance No. O-012-004 restricts open fires, open burning, and the use of fireworks in the unincorporated areas of Douglas County. Additional information on fire restrictions stages can be located at the Douglas County Emergency Management website.
Facility is a much-needed local outlet for wood from wildfire mitigation efforts. Biochar, used to improve soil, could be sold, paying for the facility in 9 years or less.
Posted on July 23, 2025 2025News and Events
Imagine a one-stop shop for your hard-to-dispose waste – slash from a fire mitigation project, old electronics and hazardous waste. The Board of Douglas County Commissioners took steps toward that vision today, breaking ground on the first county-owned and operated biochar facility and waste diversion services site, located near Waste Connections off US 85 in Sedalia.
The goal is to first increase the scope and scale of wildfire mitigation with a new biochar facility – the first of its kind for a county in the United States. The facility is expected to open in 2026.
What is Biochar?
Biochar is a form of charcoal created by heating organic materials, like wood and plant waste, in a low-oxygen environment through a process called pyrolysis. It captures carbon before it can be released into the atmosphere, creating a carbon-rich product that can be used to improve soil structure, nutrient retention, microbial biomass, and moisture retention.
“Today, we don’t just open a facility, we are igniting a movement,” said Douglas County Commissioner Abe Laydon, Chair of the Douglas County Wildfire Action Collaborative. “This is the first (county-run) biochar facility in the United States, and it started with a bold idea. We can take wildfire threats that scar our landscape and transform that risk into resilience.”
In Douglas County, the biochar facility will serve as a much-needed local outlet for the non-marketable wood from wildfire remediation and forest restoration efforts. This cost-effective outlet for diseased wood, understory material, and other non-sellable wood will lower the overall cost of wildfire mitigation efforts, allowing Douglas County to expand wildfire prevention to a greater number of acres per year.
This milestone follows a 2024 Board vote to approve up to $3 million for building the biochar facility and waste diversion site. Eventually, biochar from the facility will be sold as a multi-use organic product, so it’s estimated that this site will pay for itself within nine years or less.
The idea for a biochar facility came from Douglas County’s Wildfire Action Collaborative, a group of emergency management personnel and wildfire science experts passionate about wildfire mitigation and preparedness.
In addition to biochar production, the site will eventually serve as a one-stop drop for many types of waste, such as slash from wildfire mitigation projects, hazardous household chemicals, residential yard waste, electronics, and more.
Learn more about the project and find updates on our Douglas County Biochar and Waste Diversion Site webpage.
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