Colorado Students Develop Innovative Wildfire Mitigation Solutions

Young minds at the Colorado School of Mines tackle the challenge of what to do with biomass from wildfire prevention efforts.

Apr. 9, 2026 at 1:22am

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A bold, abstract painting in earthy tones of green, brown, and black, featuring sweeping geometric arcs, concentric circles, and precise botanical spirals, conceptually representing the scientific process of transforming pine needles into conductive biochar.Student-led innovations at the Colorado School of Mines offer promising new ways to turn wildfire mitigation waste into valuable products, providing economic incentives for more aggressive prevention efforts.Evergreen Today

Students at the Colorado School of Mines have come up with creative solutions to address the growing problem of what to do with the large amounts of biomass generated from wildfire mitigation efforts in the state. One student, Hannah Rodda, developed a process to transform pine needles into a conductive biochar that could be used to create low-cost electronic circuitry, providing a practical use for this difficult-to-dispose-of material.

Why it matters

Wildfire mitigation is a critical issue in Colorado and other fire-prone regions, but the resulting biomass, including tree trimmings and pine needles, has proven difficult to dispose of or repurpose in a sustainable way. The student solutions from the Mines challenge offer promising new approaches to turn this waste into valuable products, potentially providing an economic incentive for more aggressive wildfire prevention efforts.

The details

As part of the Biomass Challenge at the Colorado School of Mines, students were tasked with finding innovative uses for the biomass generated from wildfire mitigation. Freshman Hannah Rodda developed a process to transform pine needles, which are notoriously difficult to dispose of, into a conductive biochar that could be used to create low-cost electronic circuitry. Rodda placed the pine needles in a nitrogen-filled furnace, which charred the needles without burning them, resulting in a carbon-rich powder. She then mixed this powder with a binder solution to create a conductive ink that was able to light up an LED when connected to a battery, proving its potential for practical applications.

  • The Biomass Challenge was launched by Evergreen Fire Rescue in early 2026.
  • Hannah Rodda, a 19-year-old freshman at the Colorado School of Mines, won the challenge in April 2026 for her pine needle biochar idea.

The players

Jason Puffett

Division Chief of Wildland Fire for Evergreen Fire Rescue, who brought the challenge to the Colorado School of Mines.

Dr. Lia Franklin

Acting director for the McNeil Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Colorado School of Mines, who is helping to support the student winners in bringing their ideas to market.

Hannah Rodda

A 19-year-old freshman at the Colorado School of Mines who won the Biomass Challenge for her idea to transform pine needles into conductive biochar.

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What they’re saying

“This is like materials sustainability, which I really am interested in and I like that.”

— Hannah Rodda, Student

“The creative solutions that we get to problems that we solve are just awesome.”

— Dr. Lia Franklin, Acting Director, McNeil Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

What’s next

The Colorado School of Mines plans to bring back the Biomass Challenge next year with a different focus, continuing the search for innovative solutions to the state's wildfire mitigation challenges.

The takeaway

The student solutions from the Biomass Challenge at the Colorado School of Mines demonstrate the power of engaging young minds to tackle pressing environmental issues. By repurposing difficult-to-dispose-of biomass into valuable products, these ideas have the potential to provide an economic incentive for more aggressive wildfire prevention efforts in Colorado and beyond.