We are quickly approaching 2023! In the past, Woodyfuel has written plenty of articles about wood chips and selling them for even longer! However, with time moving forward at a fast pace, we decided to update you about everything wood chip related. Are there any changes since our articles a few years back? Read on to find out more.
What is Wood Chip?
Wood chips are wood cut or chipped from larger chunks of woodland material like a tree, roots, stumps, branches, bark and other wood waste collected. They can vary according to the different settings on a wood chipper (for example, one with automated handling).
Other lumber alternatives can be considered, such as bags of wood pellets, residual bark, or logs.
What are the Types of Wood Chip?
Apart from size, there are other differentiations between versatile wood chips. On the one hand, there is the type of chipper used to cut the wood, and on the other hand, the wood from which the chips originate. Places woodchips can derive from include:
- Sawmill residues (from sawdust)
- Recycled wood off-cuts
- Forests (forest chips and bark chips)
- Untreated wood residues (often from recycled wood as well)
- Energy crops (often called short-rotation forestry chips)
Examples of the types of trees woodchip can come from include:
- Apple-wood
- Cherry
- Hickory
- Ash
- Mesquite
- Pecan tree
- And many more!
Are Wood Chips Valuable?
Most people don’t give a second thought to this question. We understand that people take woodchips for granted, but woodchips are a valuable resource with many different uses (admittedly, some are more unconventional than others!)
Whether in a public space like a park, industrial use, or the back garden, wood chips can be used in many different ways.
What Can You Do With Wood Chip?
Plenty! Although wood chips are mostly used as a raw material for wood processing, so many applications of wood chips can be utilised. Let’s take a look at some.
Wood Chips as Sustainable Fuel
Eco-friendly wood chip is so much better than fossil fuels. This is the biggest reason we advocate for woodchips, as above ground biomass is a better alternative energy source than burned coal, natural gas, or oil. Wood chips can power engines and biomass reactors to provide heat for all of us, allowing a sustainable fuel option to battle against climate change by being carbon neutral. Biomass has advantages such as not having smoky emissions as a by product when they burn. Forget the charcoal when cooking food on the barbeque; think of chips, pellets, or logs to save on emissions!
We have many other articles exploring this topic, but contact us today if you want any more information on biomass energy!
Fire starters
People often use firewood when making fires as an added fuel detail, but woodchip can also be a great option. Woodchips’ flammability and size can aid in keeping a fire burning for hours. It is not just for the big industrial companies to use; these small controlled fire starters can be great for your garden fire pit or bonfire.
Livestock Bedding
Wood chips could be more economical for bedding over straw for your livestock, or keeping the ground of your chicken run and other poultry covered. Straw is at a surprisingly high price now, so woodchips may alleviate your financial stresses in this area. Another great thing about woodchip as bedding is that, unlike straw, there isn’t a lot of dust, keeping your animals clean when sleeping.
For this, you should consider the type of wood chip you want because, usually, the best would be wood chips with 20% moisture content with no chemicals or sharps present (such as pointy branches or bark). Our products are a high-quality mixture of dense chipping and have advantages such as being rich in nutrients, and the mixed woodchip has no large chunks of bark stuck in it. Our different types of woodchip come from waste sources like tree stumps and broken logs, making them quality material with suitable moisture content.
However, you should consult experts to find the perfect woodchip for your livestock with suitable moisture content.
Call us today!
Playground Surfaces
Wood chips are an excellent option for many types of terrain cover. One of these is for playgrounds. The commercial use of wood chips for the playground is becoming more popular now as people realise that tarmac is not sustainable or eco-friendly, nor is it exceptionally soft for children if they fall! Wood chips can provide a safe landing for children if they trip. Wood chips also provide traction for running children, preventing fall risks from happening from the beginning.
Garden Uses For Wood Chips
Wood chips don’t just have to be for industrial or commercial uses. If you’re considering upgrading your garden’s landscaping standards, bags of wood chips and bark can help in so many ways; here are some examples.
Mulch
Wood chips can be used as mulch in gardening and landscaping projects. They are a suitable option for:
- Controlling weeds and pests
- Preventing soil erosion
- Conserving water
- Helping grow plants and vegetables
It has lately been used for habitat restoration projects too. Certain types of wood chip can help soil improve and bring back a wonderful natural habitat to various animal species. The improvements woodchip can bring to soil includes:
- Soil structure
- Nutrient content
- Bioactivity
- Permeability
Compost
Continuing with mulch, any bags of wood chips and bark laid down in a gardening project have the added benefit of also helping with composting. Wood chips are high in carbon, so as they break down over your soil, the nutrients will enrich the dirt beneath them. This will benefit all your plants and help them grow come springtime.
Garden Paths
Wood chips can be a great way of creating a walkway. They do everything discussed above but can also help with the uneven ground by making them even. They also offer an aesthetically pleasing way to keep a walkway visible through your garden while still looking neat. Many opt for concrete paving, but wood chips can be just as effective and are environmentally friendly.
Bug Hotels
You may have come across this new nature trend recently. If not, bug hotels are fun garden projects people have embarked on, especially as a fun activity with children, to benefit our small wildlife. A wide range of natural materials is used in these projects to encourage biodiversity in our gardens for all nearby wildlife. Wood chips can be an excellent resource for creating these little bug homes, especially if it is already on hand somewhere in your garden.
Decorations
So, this isn’t exactly a garden project, but it is a home project! Going inside, wood chips can be used for decoration. Please stick with us on this one; we know it sounds strange. Wood chips can be used in vases to stabilise floral displays (it works best with artificial or dry flowers). Wood chips keep plants upright no matter what type of vase you use. People have even started using them in arts and crafts projects in the home as they provide an interesting texture and colour in artwork.
Keep wood chips in mind when you start your subsequent work of art!
Should I Buy Wood Chips Locally?
The quick answer is yes!
Buying local is always the best way to minimise your carbon footprint, not just for wood chips but for any purchases you make. You also get the satisfaction of knowing you are supporting local UK businesses. There are lots of biomass suppliers in the UK, such as us! We would be happy to advise you on what kind of woodchip you need or any other avenues of using your wood chips in an environmentally friendly manner, like the examples in this article.
At Woodyfuel, we are an integrated wood fuel supply business. We collect, process, and recycle woodland material to be used as a green fuel. We have years of experience with experts always available to answer any questions you might have concerning wood chips or any of our other products.
Contact us now!
