The power company is sending tree crews through the area to do their patented hack job to our tree lines. They have offered us as many of the wood chips as we want, but I don't know if I really want them. It would be nice to use them as mulch around the trees I will be planting in a few weeks, but is this a good idea, not knowing what the chips are made from?
"Free" wood chips as mulch
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NickfromWI
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it doesnt' really matter. Except in rare cases, chips are chips. I'd just take 'em.
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DDM
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In my experience as long as there left to Dry out They will be fine.We use them in the wooded areas around our yard to keep the weeds down and since i have plenty I usually give away the better stuff like hardwoods and keep the junk tree chips to put out around my yard to experiment with.I have several Customers that have always kept the chips from there trees and i have never heard a complaint.
DDM
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O and if it smells like Urine it probably is 
clearance
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Wys-"patented hack job" I really hope that one of the "hacks" uses the chip box for a washroom before they bring you the chips. Remember that those "hacks" keep the power on, if you have no respect for them, you don't deserve a reliable power supply.
Kneejerk Bombas
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Clearance, we already know how you feel about spiking up trees on trims, and trying to kill trees you don't like. So don't be surprised when home-owners actually know what kind of work to expect from some line crews.
Your type will hopefully soon be dinosaurs.
Your type will hopefully soon be dinosaurs.
Kneejerk Bombas
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Scary, you're right! Because wires are dangerous, homeowners should have to have their trees messed up.
No wait, some line clearance crews are very good at both line clearance and preservation.
Darn do-gooders!
No wait, some line clearance crews are very good at both line clearance and preservation.
Darn do-gooders!
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WE all respect good line clearance work, and appreciate its role in providing electricity. If a "patented hack job" is being done in your area, talk to the foreman, supervisor, president, contracting agency, media, or all the above if that's what it takes. I emailed some pictures of random stubs to an Asplundh higher-up; that changed things. a little.
I took 2 loads of chips from the local crews, and had a nasty time pulling the trash out of the piles. The concept of biomass recycling had not quite reached those boys, who evidently saw trees and treechips as garbage. Education is a struggle sometimes, but it beats war--right, Mike?
I took 2 loads of chips from the local crews, and had a nasty time pulling the trash out of the piles. The concept of biomass recycling had not quite reached those boys, who evidently saw trees and treechips as garbage. Education is a struggle sometimes, but it beats war--right, Mike?
Kneejerk Bombas
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It's a hard fought battle, Guy.
There was a line crew working up my street and I watched them work. When they came close to my trees, I said, "I'm an ISA certified arborist." That's all I said, but the climber turned around, walked to the truck, and took off his spikes. It was apparent they've run into people like me who values his trees.
The line crews are union, and you can tell by watching them work. There were 3 older guys (45 to 55) years old on the ground, yelling up to a young climber with instructions. It was obvious he had no formal training, and also obvious the three on the ground didn't either, even though they probably climbed for years and were now in a position of trainer.
That said, our company has hired guys from line work that were well trained and knowledgeable. So like any other tree service, there is a full range of skill levels working clearance. The pay is low and the work is boring. Clearance doesn't attract the better employees.
I tell my tree customers to maintain their trees before a line crew needs to come in, that avoids the problem of having guys like Clearance damaging them.
As for taking chips from line crews, they'll be stringy but chances are better that they won't vector disease than if you get them from a tree service. My reasoning is that line crews randomly work trees of different health, while tree services work a high percentage of dead or dying trees, doing removals. Line crews see a dead tree, they leave it. It's not growing into the wires.
There was a line crew working up my street and I watched them work. When they came close to my trees, I said, "I'm an ISA certified arborist." That's all I said, but the climber turned around, walked to the truck, and took off his spikes. It was apparent they've run into people like me who values his trees.
The line crews are union, and you can tell by watching them work. There were 3 older guys (45 to 55) years old on the ground, yelling up to a young climber with instructions. It was obvious he had no formal training, and also obvious the three on the ground didn't either, even though they probably climbed for years and were now in a position of trainer.
That said, our company has hired guys from line work that were well trained and knowledgeable. So like any other tree service, there is a full range of skill levels working clearance. The pay is low and the work is boring. Clearance doesn't attract the better employees.
I tell my tree customers to maintain their trees before a line crew needs to come in, that avoids the problem of having guys like Clearance damaging them.
As for taking chips from line crews, they'll be stringy but chances are better that they won't vector disease than if you get them from a tree service. My reasoning is that line crews randomly work trees of different health, while tree services work a high percentage of dead or dying trees, doing removals. Line crews see a dead tree, they leave it. It's not growing into the wires.
I guess I would only leave chips or offer chips if I had to make room for more or basically , getting someone to take my load. I found a guy would take my load for a horse ranch. He had strict restrictions. Oleander is a killer as are a lot of different stuff we throw in our loads. Just think about it.
Jeff Lovstrom
Jeff Lovstrom
Thanks for the advice, I didn't think I'd cause such a stir with the "patented hackjob" comment. I didn't mean to generalize the whole industry - This is just from personal experience. The last time they came through our backyard about 7 years ago they needlessley cut large limbs from some of our oaks and left huge stubs that sprouted a lot of ugly branches, while leaving most of the buckthorns and choke cherries totally intact directly under the wires (mostly on the neighbor's property). To add insult to injury a week after they came through a windstorm hit and a line broke in our back yard for the first time in memory.
I didn't express my concerns at the time because my interest in our trees didn't really start until the last couple years. The "unkempt"-ness of the area may have also played a role in their lack of discretion - I don't know. Although all the lots in our subdivision are 3 acres+, most homeowners don't really take care of the naturally wooded areas of their yards. Buckthorn is everywhere and slowly crowding out the natives.
Anyways, since so many buckthorns, etc were left in place, they have proliferated in the past 7 years and have formed a thicket under and around the lines, while the oaks and hickories have essentially stayed away since they grow so slowly. I've removed all the invasive brush up to the lines during the past year, hopefully making the job easier for them and giving them more incentive to do a more thourough job this time.
I know its not their job to "sculpture" the trees, but to me its just common sense to take the time and effort identify the invasive, fast growing trees and remove them completely instead of needlessly destroying the asthetics (and possibly the health) of valuable, slow growing trees just to create an arbitrary clearance around the lines.
I didn't express my concerns at the time because my interest in our trees didn't really start until the last couple years. The "unkempt"-ness of the area may have also played a role in their lack of discretion - I don't know. Although all the lots in our subdivision are 3 acres+, most homeowners don't really take care of the naturally wooded areas of their yards. Buckthorn is everywhere and slowly crowding out the natives.
Anyways, since so many buckthorns, etc were left in place, they have proliferated in the past 7 years and have formed a thicket under and around the lines, while the oaks and hickories have essentially stayed away since they grow so slowly. I've removed all the invasive brush up to the lines during the past year, hopefully making the job easier for them and giving them more incentive to do a more thourough job this time.
I know its not their job to "sculpture" the trees, but to me its just common sense to take the time and effort identify the invasive, fast growing trees and remove them completely instead of needlessly destroying the asthetics (and possibly the health) of valuable, slow growing trees just to create an arbitrary clearance around the lines.
RE: "nasty time pulling the trash out of the piles"
Have taken a few score of chip loads over the years, 4-5 loads at a time and them spread them with a dozer. Uncounted number of shovels, pole saws, rubbermaid trash bins, one very expensive 14 ft fiberglass step ladder, couple of nearly new wheelbarrows, etc.
Trashed most of 'em with dozer 'afore knew they were there. Bags of empty lunch crap too. Pairs of boots and chaps too once, but never any rope, although neighbor did get a chain saw delivered with his chips once.
Is it just newbies or summer hires don't look in the back before they blow in a load of chips?
Have taken a few score of chip loads over the years, 4-5 loads at a time and them spread them with a dozer. Uncounted number of shovels, pole saws, rubbermaid trash bins, one very expensive 14 ft fiberglass step ladder, couple of nearly new wheelbarrows, etc.
Trashed most of 'em with dozer 'afore knew they were there. Bags of empty lunch crap too. Pairs of boots and chaps too once, but never any rope, although neighbor did get a chain saw delivered with his chips once.
Is it just newbies or summer hires don't look in the back before they blow in a load of chips?
Just thought I'd post a followup...the tree cutters have made their way through our yard and I must say I am extremely impressed by the improvements they've made in the quality of their work since the last time they came through. They pruned only what had to be pruned and used proper cutting techniques everywhere I could see. I asked why they weren't pruning the oaks and they said because of oak wilt they would be coming back in July to take care of the oaks. I told the foreman that he could cut down a green ash and choke cherry to make it easier for them to drag out branches (these were trees I wanted to get rid of anyways)...he had me sign a waiver form! A stark contrast to the "hack and slash" from 7 years ago. I also got a load of wood chips today, it looks to be high grade stuff with no signs of garbage. Very polite folks too, I might add.
kf_tree
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just put the power lines under ground and the clearance guys would all be looking for a new line of work.
Kneejerk Bombas
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Oh yeah KF, I can imagine the kind of damage they'd do to the roots. Then they'd come back and put wires up high anyway, thereby damaging both halves of the trees!
Let's leave well enough alone with them only wrecking the top half!
Even arborist don't understand roots. Put the wires underground...
Let's leave well enough alone with them only wrecking the top half!
Even arborist don't understand roots. Put the wires underground...
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