Dealing with Downed Wood: Sustainable Options for Storm Damage

Maybe you had branches come down in the latest storm, or maybe you did some home pruning that you don't want to add to your brush pile--what do you do?

There are tremendous ecological advantages to keeping the carbon and nutrients in downed wood on-site wherever possible, so I really encourage people and institutions to do so whenever possible. All of these are practices I use in my own garden or have firsthand experience with:

Build a Hugulkultur bed for growing annuals or perennials

Pile up wood, dump soil on top, and you're ready to plant! Consider, as always the type of wood and the degree to which it's decayed--not all wood has the same properties! Reach out if you have questions. More on Hugelkultur can be found here.

Leave the wood on the ground as mulch, either chipped, bucked, or as-is

I will say here that chippers use a lot of fossil fuels, both to function and to transport, as do trucks. AND, the chips often end up being plopped into a tub grinder to make mulch, before they get trucked back to you and sold as mulch. This process will all take place naturally, on its own, with the help of various decomposing organisms, if you simply let the wood rest on the ground. The more chopped-up it is the faster this process will occur. Chipping might be appropriate if the volume is very large or if you have non-negotiable aesthetic requirements. Removal might be appropriate if you have certain fungal or insect issues on-site (e.g. fireblight).

Wood chips can be used fresh in places you don't want vegetation (e.g. to mark paths) or can be allowed to sit and compost in place for about a year, and then use as you would mulch. I would avoid using too high a proportion of softwood (conifer) chips for plants that prefer less acidic soil, which include most commonly grown garden annuals. I would also avoid allelopathic hardwoods in most cases, although lists can be found of plants that tolerate or thrive with the compounds found in certain plants, such a black walnut (Juglans nigra). More on allelopathic compounds in mulch can be found here.

Grow mushrooms

Wood chips can be used to make beds to grow mushrooms. Alternatively, chunks of wood can be drilled or sawn and used to grow mushrooms. I recommend Field & Forest Products for more information, specifications, and mushroom spawn products.

Carve spoons

Will it use tons of wood? No. Will it be fun? Hopefully. More information on carving greenwood is available here.

Have it milled

Find someone with a portable or Alaskan sawmill and have the wood milled for boards. These can be dried on-site or off, and used for DIY projects or taken to a professional woodworker, carpenter or furniture maker. In my own yard I've used rough-cut lumber seconds to build a chicken run, a sandbox, and a retaining wall for a raspberry bed. Unless you find someone running a chainsaw mill with an electric saw, this solution will also require fossil fuels.

Get creative!

I would love to talk in-depth about which of these options might work best for your situation and goals; I'm also able to assist you with many of the options above! Schedule a consult for more information.