The Amazonian peoples, roughly between 500 BC and AD 1000, extensively made biochar in order to improve the soil quality of their land. It was very effective and the technique is still being studied today. Jungle soils see famously poor quality, naturally, but biochar mitigates that issue quite a bit.
So, what if the technique of using biochar in such a fashion to produce high quality soil was observed by explorers? Either Terra Preta production is continued for longer periods, or explorers reach the New World earlier. Obviously, in the case of the latter, this would mean looking at macro trends, as there would be loads more butterflies.
Could such soil remediation be applied to areas in the Old World with poor quality soil, leading to significant changes?
So, what if the technique of using biochar in such a fashion to produce high quality soil was observed by explorers? Either Terra Preta production is continued for longer periods, or explorers reach the New World earlier. Obviously, in the case of the latter, this would mean looking at macro trends, as there would be loads more butterflies.
Could such soil remediation be applied to areas in the Old World with poor quality soil, leading to significant changes?