Tree surgeon chippings

[Banana Bar]

Does this ever have any value to be incorporated. It’s obviously a source of carbon but does it take too long to become a benefit?

BB

 

[Clive]

Does this ever have any value to be incorporated. It’s obviously a source of carbon but does it take too long to become a benefit?

BB

great stuff if mixed with FYM and composted a bit

lots of biological diversity form all those different trees

 

[Hereward]

Beware of foreign objects and general rubbish, ime it all gets thrown in.

 

[Brisel]

Huge C:N ratio, so don’t spread it 3” thick or you’ll get N lockup for your crop but diluted with manure or green compost or even spread thinly it will gradually break down.

 

[renewablejohn]

Bag it into free draining builders bags and leave it in the weather for two years at which point you will get a superb mulch for no dig crops. Mix as a peat substitute in any John Innes mixtures.

 

[Goweresque]

Isn't taking that sort of stuff likely to fall foul of waste management regs? Not least because the tree surgeon is supposed to be getting a waste disposal ticket for the waste he's getting rid of, which unless you're prepared to wade through a mound of paperwork to obtain various permits a farmer isn't going to be able to give?

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Isn't taking that sort of stuff likely to fall foul of waste management regs? Not least because the tree surgeon is supposed to be getting a waste disposal ticket for the waste he's getting rid of, which unless you're prepared to wade through a mound of paperwork to obtain various permits a farmer isn't going to be able to give?

This may be true, but what a nonsense. You can buy woodchip as mulch, or as fuel. Why does it have to be treated as waste and add cost when it has value.

Reminds me of programme on R4 Mrs PBH listened to about people replacing lawns with astro turf. They ask what happened to the turf being removed. Landfill

 

[Flat 10]

great stuff if mixed with FYM and composted a bit

lots of biological diversity form all those different trees

I think when its been composted the type of tree would make very little difference unless any of them have radically different C:N ratios which I doubt.

 

[Clive]

I think when its been composted the type of tree would make very little difference unless any of them have radically different C:N ratios which I doubt.

Not just the type of tree - it the biology that they support on bark etc

Dr Elaine Ingram recommended collecting as many fungi from woodland as possible to inoculate composts

biological diversity is what it’s all about C:N ration only relaxant while its being broken down which is best done before applied to the soil

 

[Goweresque]

This may be true, but what a nonsense. You can buy woodchip as mulch, or as fuel. Why does it have to be treated as waste and add cost when it has value.

It is indeed a nonsense, but I just wanted to point out that anyone taking this sort of material is potentially opening themselves up for some serious grief if the EA got involved. You've got to weigh up the benefits vs the potential downsides, just pretending that you can ignore bad laws doesn't cut it nowadays.

 

[Flat 10]

Not just the type of tree - it the biology that they support on bark etc

Dr Elaine Ingram recommended collecting as many fungi from woodland as possible to inoculate composts

biological diversity is what it’s all about C:N ration only relaxant while its being broken down which is best done before applied to the soil

Oh so its not the diversity of the wood rather the fungi. I can buy that.

 

[AT Aloss]

We took in an amount of waste wood in 2006 from a waste disposal contractor. Our composting site was approved by the EA. The volume & quality of material was agreed by an EA officer. We were still mixing & composting the material 2 years later when we were inspected by the new EA officer who condemned the material and insisted it was sent to landfill due to other waste material being found in the waste wood (mainly glued wooden board, small amounts of formica & some plastic, where our policy was to pick after spreading). We disputed the order placed on us as the material had been previously approved but still had to bring in a Trommel at some cost to screen it all. All I can say is, what you see isn't always what you get, and one man's meat is another man's poison.

 

[renewablejohn]

Isn't taking that sort of stuff likely to fall foul of waste management regs? Not least because the tree surgeon is supposed to be getting a waste disposal ticket for the waste he's getting rid of, which unless you're prepared to wade through a mound of paperwork to obtain various permits a farmer isn't going to be able to give?

There is ways of running a tree station legitimately on a farm but as you say its not easy as if it was everyone would be doing it.
I am one of the few left in the area that has not been closed down. The bigger problem is keeping within the miniscule storage amounts allowed by the EA.