July 1st, 2016
When our arborists show up onsite we assess the property and obstacles involved, making the decision of how to best get the tree down to the ground. Trees in “tight” locations require a much greater skill level than trees that can be properly felled into a yard or street.
Once the tree has been cut down, the limbs are removed and processed through the chipper, which in turn chips the branches into small 1/2 - 1 inch pieces. Once we have a full load, we take those chips to either one of two places:
- When it is more convenient, the chips are hauled to a composting facility at our cost. The chips are, over time, decayed into compost that is sold back to the public for use in gardens, shrubs beds, etc.
- Other times, the chips are hauled to a storage facility where they are used as ground cover around other trees and shrubs. This keeps the sun from directly contacting the soil and drying it out. Moisture is retained when it rains, and plants are protected from longer periods of drought. This practice also saves water because the plants need less manual watering, and can rely on rainwater. And even if plants require manual watering, the ground will stay moist for longer.
What About The Tree Trunk?
After de-limbing the tree, the arborist onsite cuts the trunk into 12 - 16 inch lengths. From here, customers either keep the tree for firewood to heat their homes, lessening their reliance on fossil fuels, or our partner company picks up the wood (at no charge) to heat their businesses throughout winter months.
Sometimes we have artists and fans of Pinterest that need the trunk wood from trees - especially the hardwood trees. Our wood is used to make coffee tables, end tables, bowls and even totem poles! The sky's the limit….
In the photo below (after we said a brief prayer over the fallen oak tree) we loaded the uncut trunk onto a pickup truck. Since mature oak trees are incredibly rare in Edmonton, we decided to give this particular tree a new life after death.
Can I get an “amen!”?
