What if a tree that harms local ecosystems could become a resource for restoring them? In Ontario, young engineer Laurel Pierroz-Wong is exploring exactly that possibility.
Laurel Pierroz-Wong, 24, is a civil and environmental engineering master’s student at the University of Waterloo and a co-founder of Pyroneers, a project investigating how invasive buckthorn can be converted into biochar.
Noticing an ecological problem close to home
During a co-op work placement in water-resources consulting, Laurel repeatedly encountered common buckthorn growing along creeks in southern Ontario. The invasive species can crowd out native plants and disrupt local ecosystems.
Rather than viewing cleared buckthorn solely as a disposal problem, she became interested in turning the woody biomass into a potentially useful material.
From unwanted trees to biochar
Biochar is a carbon-rich material produced by heating organic matter under oxygen-limited conditions. Depending on its production and use, biochar can have applications in soils and environmental management.
Pyroneers explores converting removed invasive buckthorn into biochar that could support ecosystem-restoration activities, while involving students and local communities in climate education. The project is an emerging initiative, so its net climate benefits and effectiveness across different applications should be assessed rather than assumed.
Young environmental leadership recognized
On October 28, 2026, the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health announced Laurel among four Ontario young people recognized for environmental leadership and innovation. The university also recently profiled her work with Pyroneers and her efforts to engage students in hands-on climate solutions.
Her example is powerful because she began with a problem she could see in her own region and asked whether local waste material might contribute to a better outcome.
Primary sources: United Nations University award announcement; University of Waterloo, November 2, 2026.
Image note: Featured photograph is illustrative and does not depict Laurel, Pyroneers or their actual biochar.
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