We used a chipper many years ago when we had a property that needed total clearing, but have not seen a chipper used when thinning. I agree that it seems such a waste of tops and such. On my thinned properties, I've been using a rubber track loader to pile and burn tops and unused stems just to get them out of the way so we could get a tractor spray rig in there to do a mid-rotation release spray to get rid of sweet gun and such. If you do chip, I suggest you spray to knock out sweet gum and such 'cause they come up in clusters from the ground stumps.
Forestry Question - Onsite Chipper
Are any MS foresters or loggers using an onsite chipper when thinning pine plantations or clear cuts that would utilize the whole tree?
There is much limb debris left behind using the conventional methods of logging. Looks to me, there could be 20 to 30 percent of the tree mass left on the ground just to rot and money lost to the landowner.
There is much limb debris left behind using the conventional methods of logging. Looks to me, there could be 20 to 30 percent of the tree mass left on the ground just to rot and money lost to the landowner.
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Yellow lab, I understand what you are saying, but there is a reason the tops and limbs are not being taken to the mill. They lack the strength/consistency/etc to make paper. Tops and limbs would never be able to go through the debarking system that is is designed for the logs either.
Honker, I think what he is talking about is reserving the "biomass" instead of pulp stuff. Biomass collection and usage is big in some countries (like Sweden) but hasn't taken off in the US.
Mobile Forest Products out of Moblie, AL does it. They can chip the entire tree on site. Have one machine that cuts all the limbs off and piles them up. Another machine chips the trees. They leave huge piles of limbs and pine needles which they come back and get later.
Ala/Miss out of State Line, Ms hauls the tree off and chips the limbs and tops on site. They leave the cleanest stand I have ever seen. Nothing left on the ground.
Ala/Miss out of State Line, Ms hauls the tree off and chips the limbs and tops on site. They leave the cleanest stand I have ever seen. Nothing left on the ground.
If the extra value to the landowner is minimal, I'd think it would be more valuable as organic matter and nutrients returned to the soil. What would you get for a treetop chipped? $10? Honestly have no idea. But I'd gamble an elemental analysis of a treetop would show more $ worth of nutrients than its worth chipped and removed from your property forever. Logs would beat the math test, haha.
I see your point, if the material were scattered across the property to decay or burn. When my property has been thinned they pull the whole trees to near the loading zone and push them through a gate to knock the limbs off. Then they go to the loading spot where the tops are cut off and piled. I end up with piles of limbs and tops concentrated around the loading zone. As stated in my earlier post, I'm paying someone to run my equipment to pile and burn this stuff. I suppose I could just leave it to decay, but I want it opened up for access for spraying and such. After we clear up the piles, we put the mulching head on and clean out the cut rows for access and mulch up some of the unwanted sweet gum and such and then do an Arsenal spray. Most folks don't do this, but I guess I'm a little obsessed with habitat management.If the extra value to the landowner is minimal, I'd think it would be more valuable as organic matter and nutrients returned to the soil. What would you get for a treetop chipped? $10? Honestly have no idea. But I'd gamble an elemental analysis of a treetop would show more $ worth of nutrients than its worth chipped and removed from your property forever. Logs would beat the math test, haha.
Even if it isn't scattered, it's better than if it is removed entirely (hauled off). Of course, this isn't something that will provide a tangible benefit for many decades, maybe generations. It's kinda like no-till tree farming.
What are the chips being beings used for?Yep. Thinning a tract now where all the slash, privet hedge, bushes, tallow trees, tung oil trees, etc are leaving in a chip van. Not much added income to the landowner, but it is clean
There are 3 cutters running on this job and they cut and skid everything
Going to the pellet mill in Wiggins.What are the chips being beings used for?
Going back to my original question, what is your estimate ( in percentage ) of the total harvest that is going to be chipped?Going to the pellet mill in Wiggins.
My guess was 20-30 percent.
20-30% is probably close if just chipping the slash, but taking all the brush and slash, we chipped an additional 58% on a small clearcut.
58% is a huge volume!20-30% is probably close if just chipping the slash, but taking all the brush and slash, we chipped an additional 58% on a small clearcut.
Approximately what is the price per ton, being paid to the landowner, for the chips?
On this last clearcut, stumpage was only $1/ton, but considering everything chipped was "non-merchantable", I'll take it! We removed 800 tons of junk I was going to have to spray and burn. Now the site is clean so I'll burn it in couple of weeks, we'll plant and then release spray next year. The chipping only added 4% to the $$, but I think the benefits to the overall job are much greater58% is a huge volume!
Approximately what is the price per ton, being paid to the landowner, for the chips?
So about 30 trailer loads of chips or $800 dollars extra to the landowner.On this last clearcut, stumpage was only $1/ton, but considering everything chipped was "non-merchantable", I'll take it! We removed 800 tons of junk I was going to have to spray and burn. Now the site is clean so I'll burn it in couple of weeks, we'll plant and then release spray next year. The chipping only added 4% to the $$, but I think the benefits to the overall job are much greater
Another plus that I see is that the landowner is not having to pay an extra $1000 to $2000 to have a bulldozer push and/or root rake the left over debris from the timber harvest in cleaning up his road system, loading site and bunching area's.
An option to chipping or having piles of debris at the loading zones is to use a logger that has a harvester machine that cuts the tree down, feeds it through and de-limbs it, measures it and calculates the best use of the tree and cuts to that length. This does not provide any addition sales of biomass or leave as clean an of area but at least this leaves the tops and limbs scattered across the property rather than in big piles. Problem is finding someone that has that kind of equipment available in your area.
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