**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** PRODUCING AND APPLYING BIOCHAR TO SOIL HAS GREAT POTENTIAL FOR MANAGING WASTE BIOMASS, IMPROVING SOIL HEALTH, AND MAKING AGRICULTURE MORE SUSTAINABLE. HOWEVER, BIOCHAR SOIL AMENDMENT REMAINS LARGELY A TRIAL-AND-EFFECT PRACTICE BECAUSE OF THE DIVERSITY OF BIOCHAR TYPES AND THE COMPLEX PROCESSES IT MAY PARTICIPATE IN DURING ITS PERSISTENCE IN SOILS. THE OVERALL GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO EXPLORE HOW BIOCHAR AFFECTS THE MICROBIALLY-MEDIATED SOIL ORGANIC MATTER (SOM) DECOMPOSITION PROCESS, WHICH PRIMARILY CONTROLS THE CYCLING OF CARBON AND NUTRIENTS THAT IS FUNDAMENTAL TO THE HEALTH AND SERVICES OF SOILS. TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL, SOIL MESOCOSMS SIMULATING REALISTIC BIOCHAR AMENDMENT SCENARIOS WILL BE CONSTRUCTED AND DYNAMICS OF THE SOIL MICROBIAL COMMUNITY, EXTRACELLULAR ENZYMES, AND SOM POOLS WILL BE TRACKED AND CORRELATED, LEVERAGING A SUITE OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY TOOLS. A PROCESS-BASED MODEL WILL BE DEVELOPED TO EVALUATE THE ROLES OF BIOCHAR AND PREDICT THE LONG-TERM DYNAMICS OF SOM POOLS AND CO2 EMISSIONS. TO COMPLIMENT THE LABORATORY RESEARCH, WE WILL COLLABORATE WITH RESEARCH EXTENSION TO ENHANCE THE AGRICULTURAL RELEVANCE OF OUR RESEARCH AND TEST THE APPLICATIONS OF OUR MODEL TO FIELD STUDIES ON BIOCHAR SOIL APPLICATIONS. WE WILL ESTABLISH COLLABORATION WITH ORGANIC WASTE PROFESSIONALS AND AGRICULTURAL CONSULTANTS TO: 1) IDENTIFY THE OPPORTUNITIES IN BIOCHAR APPLICATIONS TO AGRICULTURAL SOILS AND THEIR BEST PRACTICES, AND 2) TO DISSEMINATE OUR RESEARCH FINDINGS ON BIOCHAR'S IMPACTS ON SOIL HEALTH ACROSS DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS ACROSS THE NORTHEAST REGION. THE LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO DEVELOP BIOCHAR AMENDMENT INTO A PREDICTABLE AND EFFECTIVE SOIL MANAGEMENT PRACTICE, AND PROVIDE FOUNDATIONAL KNOWLEDGE FOR BIOCHAR PRODUCERS AND AGRICULTURAL USERS FOR OPTIMAL PRACTICES.