Phyton, International Journal of Experimental Botany DOI:10.32604/phyton.2019.08406 www.techscience.com/phyton Biochar Production and Application in Forest Soils-A Critical Review Lina Gogoi 1 , Rumi Narzari 1 , Nirmali Gogoi 2 , Muhammad Farooq 3 and Rupam Kataki 1,* 1 Department of Energy, Tezpur University, Napaam, Tezpur, 784028, India. 2 Department of Environmental Science, Tezpur University, Napaam, Tezpur, 784028, India. 3 Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, 123, Oman. * Corresponding Author: Rupam Kataki. Email: rupamkataki@gmail.com. Abstract: The increasing deforestation with an alarming rate is the prime cause of upsetting the balance in the natural ecosystem and the livelihood of local communities. Sustainable forest management and reforestation efforts can equilibrium this destruction and maintain the protected areas. In this regard, soil management strategies for reforestation of the degraded forest land can be helpful. In this review, the potential of using biochar, a solid carbon rich product of biomass thermochemical conversion, as a soil amendment in forest soils has been discussed. The production procedures of biochar, availability of feedstocks and the biochar properties are discussed using the existing knowledge. The positive effects of biochar are soil quality depended and change with varying geographical locations. Therefore, long-term field trials examining a range of biochars, soils, and forest types are required for a better understanding of this issue. Careful planning to match biochar with the soil properties is essential to obtain maximum benefits of biochar as a soil amendment. Keywords: Sustainable forest management; reforestation; biochar; soil amendment; degraded forest 1 Introduction Forest ecosystems consist of a complex web of organisms and play an important role in regulating the global climate. About 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity is present in forests and the livelihoods of 1.6 billion people depend on this ecosystem. Forests consume CO2 and thus help to regulate its balance in the environment by retaining a huge volume of atmospheric carbon. Tropical forests can hold more than 210 Gt of carbon [1]. However, the rate of deforestation is increasing during recent years which disrupts the balance in the natural ecosystem. The conversion of forest land to agriculture and livestock areas due to increasing population, not only affects the livelihoods of forest communities, but also the global climatic condition on a much broader scale. Increasing and improving agricultural production without reducing and harming forest area is therefore one of the greatest challenges in recent times. The net annual rate of forest loss is 0.08% during 2010-2015. In the year 2015, forests made up 30.6% of the world’s land areas [2]. Deforestation leads to higher CO2 contents in the atmosphere contributing to an increase in the global temperature. The average global temperature on earth has increased by about 0.8ºC since 1880 [3]. In the year 2017, the global mean temperature was 1.1 ± 0.1ºC above pre-industrial level [4]. Forests acting as a natural brake sequester and store more carbon than any other terrestrial ecosystem. Carbon sequestration by forests has attracted a huge interest as a mitigation approach. Both afforestation and reforestation, therefore, have been considered an inexpensive way of addressing climate change. Sustainable forest management and reforestation efforts along with food security can balance this destruction and maintain the integrity of protected areas.