Burning wood and making biochar: what EPA, GOV.UK and the Environment Agency say

This page reports what the named codes, regulators and makers say. It is not training and does not teach the work. This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. The smoke control penalties and the biochar positions below are stated for England by their sources, and the EPA page describes itself as a historic record. The England firewood sale rules are on the England firewood sale page, drying times are on the firewood species and seasoning page, and the courses that teach tree work are on the certifications guide.

What the EPA Burn Wise pages say about wood for stoves

The Burn Wise program ran from 2009 to 2025. Its Best Wood-Burning Practices page says the website serves as a historic record and that EPA stopped updating program content as of October 30, 2025. The page was last updated on November 3, 2025, so it is reported here as a frozen statement, not an ongoing EPA position.

The page says wood gives its best burn below 20 percent moisture and that seasoning takes at least six months. It describes seasoned wood as darker, lighter in weight and hollow-sounding when two pieces are knocked together. It names a moisture meter as the way to test wood before burning.

It lists materials that give off toxic or harmful chemicals when burned, and that can harm the appliance:

household trash, named as cardboard, plastics and foam, and printed magazines, boxes and wrappers
coated, painted and pressure-treated wood
driftwood from the ocean, plywood, particle board, and wood that has glue on or in it
wet, rotting, diseased or mouldy wood
plastic, asbestos, rubber, manure and animal remains

On safe operation the page says doors stay closed unless the appliance is being loaded or stoked, because carbon monoxide can be released into the home. It says ashes go into a covered metal container stored outdoors on a nonflammable surface, and that a fire extinguisher is kept handy. It also points to the Don't Move Firewood campaign; moving wood under pest quarantines is on the moving wood guide.

Smoke control areas in England

The GOV.UK page on smoke control area rules says many parts of the UK are smoke control areas where smoke cannot be released from a chimney and only authorised fuel may be burned, unless the appliance is approved by Defra as an exempt appliance. It says wood counts among the unauthorised fuels, which are burned only in exempt appliances, for example some boilers, cookers and stoves, and that only the fuel the manufacturer names may be used in such an appliance.

For England the page gives a penalty of up to £300 if a chimney releases smoke in a smoke control area, and a fine of up to £1,000 for buying unauthorised fuel for an appliance that is not approved. It says outdoor barbecues, chimineas and pizza ovens can be used in these areas, but an appliance that uses a chimney on the roof of a building, such as a summerhouse, needs authorised fuel unless it is exempt. It says garden bonfires are allowed in smoke control areas and refers to separate bonfire rules. It sends readers to the local council to find out whether an address is in a smoke control area.

Biochar from wood waste in England

The University of Florida's Florida Land Steward newsletter (spring and summer 2024) describes biochar as made by burning an organic source such as tree trimmings and wood with minimal oxygen, and says the nitrogen in the material is lost to the air at a rising rate as burn temperatures rise.

Item	Low risk waste position 60 (making)	Regulatory position statement 366 (storing and spreading)
What it covers	Storing and treating waste to make biochar without an environmental permit for a waste operation	Storing and spreading biochar, waste code 19 01 18, to benefit land
Wood wastes named	Codes 02 01 03, 02 01 07, 02 03 04, 03 01 01, 03 01 05 and 03 03 01: untreated plant tissue, untreated forestry wood, vegetable waste unsuitable for consumption or processing, untreated bark and cork, untreated sawdust, shavings and cuttings, untreated bark and wood	Biochar made by pyrolysis of the same six waste codes
Quantity limits	Up to 30 tonnes of waste stored at the site of manufacture; a unit with a maximum throughput of 50 kg per hour	Up to 10 tonnes of biochar stored at any one time; up to one tonne per hectare spread in any 12-month period; storage up to 12 months
Other conditions	Made by pyrolysis in a unit specifically designed for it; waste stored in a secure place	A U10 or U11 waste exemption registered; spread only where there is a nutrient need; 10 metres from a watercourse and 50 metres from a spring, well or borehole; records kept for 2 years
Enforcement line	The Environment Agency will not normally take enforcement action if the conditions are met and there is no pollution or harm to health	Same approach; it does not change the duty to hold a permit or register an exemption where required
Dates	Page updated January 13, 2026	Published February 26, 2026; review intended by March 1, 2029

RPS 366 says the Environment Agency considers the activity potentially suitable for an exemption under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 and that a change in law would be needed for that. Both pages say they apply to England; other countries are not covered here.

Biochar in United States forestry

The Florida newsletter says the response of forest soils to biochar depends on the soil and the biochar: the greatest gains in plant growth are reported on highly degraded, acidic and sandy soils. It says a nutrient analysis and the liming potential should be tested before land application even when a landowner makes the biochar. It reports that USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service offers financial and technical help under the Conservation Stewardship Program to convert woody debris that poses a fire hazard into biochar. It also says dampening biochar slightly reduces airborne particles, and that a face mask is used when handling and spreading it.