Content s Introduction vii 1 What Is Woodchip and Where Does It Come From? 2 Sources of Woodchip 3 Managing Woodchip 4 Woodchip for Plant Propagation 5 Woodchip as Soil Amendment 6 Mulches 7 Mushrooms in Woodchip 8 Building Carbon with Woodchip
1 19 49 77 101 129 161 173
Acknowledgements 185 Notes 187 Index 199
The Woodchip Handbook
A typical mix of woodchip from a tree surgeon includes a wide range of material, deciduous and coniferous, and different-sized chip.
Single-species willow woodchip; even-sized chip that fit well through the forage wagon.
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The Woodchip Handbook Table 3.1. Comparison of Costings for Coppicing Hedges Using a Range of Different Machinery Machinery Description
Option Trialled
Hydraulic shears
Excavator mounted Dymax 250 millimetre (10 inch) grapple tree shears with added accumulator or feller buncher functionality mounted on an 8 tonne Komatsu PC78MR-6 zero swing excavator; 1 man and 1 machine
Hydraulic shears + chainsaw finish
Excavator mounted Dymax 250 millimetre (10 inch) grapple tree shears with added accumulator or feller buncher functionality mounted on an 8 tonne Komatsu PC78MR-6 zero swing excavator; 1 man, 1 machine and 1 chainsaw
Timber grab with integral chainsaw
Excavator mounted Gierkink GMT 035 felling grapple with chainsaw cutting bar mounted on 5 tonne Kubota excavator; 1 man and 1 machine
Single circular saw – hedge 2 Wakelyns
Tractor-mounted single circular saw attachment on hedge cutting arm, with second tractor and front-mounted fork; 2 men, 2 machines and 1 chainsaw
Single circular saw – hedge 1 Wakelyns
Tractor-mounted single circular saw attachment on hedge cutting arm, with second tractor and front-mounted fork; 2 men, 2 machines and 1 chainsaw
Manual fell – hedge 1 Wakelyns
Motor manual extraction of cordwood for firewood logs: man with chainsaw to separate brash from logs & prepare logs for firewood; brash to be chipped. Tractor with front-mounted fork used to separate pile of hedgerow material
Assisted fell technique Motor manual felling supported by an 8 tonne Doosan DX80R excavator with a front-mounted 1.8 metre (6 foot) land rake and Husqvarna 390 XP chainsaw with 600 millimetre (24 inch) cutting bar; 2 men, 1 machine and 1 chainsaw Manual fell Husqvarna 560 XP chainsaw with 425 millime– hedge 21 Elm Farm tre (15 inch) cutting bar; 2 men and 1 chainsaw
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Managing Woodchip
Minutes per Metre
Metres per Hour
Metres per Day
Day Hire Cost (£)
Haulage Cost (£)
2.78
21.58
151.08
525
500
3.3
18.16
127.12
525
500
2.64
22.73
159.11
500
500
2.9
20.69
144.83
480
100
5.4
11.11
77.88
480
100
12.85
4.67
32.68
224
0
1.58
37.97
265.82
450
150
10.81
5.55
38.86
300
20
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The Woodchip Handbook
Fred Bonestroo even uses the composting piles of woodchip to grow crops in; here is some fine-looking squash growing well in one of his piles.
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