There’s a flat paddle included so you can load branches into the hopper without getting your hands anywhere near the blades. Localised containers – these ‘desk-side bins’ are individual refuse bins for increasing the efficiency in properly handling wood waste. They’re placed near a workstation in a workshop for example, a close point to throw away small bits of wood scraps. This is the stuff you’ll see in neighborhood gardens. Shredded wood mulch may be dyed, but is usually finely shredded material such as pine shavings. Generally speaking, this is a finer size mulch of about 1” or smaller in size, making it quite visually appealing.

The best way to get the most out of your organic materials? Mix them with an existing compost heap at least once every six months and top off soil when needed. Tips for using different types of woods safely in your garden Some oak trees produce safe types of wood chips, while others will create dangerous foliage. Different types of wood chipsOnce the wood has been separated into these grades, it can move onto further processing. The next stage (unless any wood is reclaimed for reuse) is the primary shredding of the wood using industrial machines. After this, the wood chips can be further refined by using magnets to remove metal contaminants. Then, the wood can either be processed into panel board, used for burning, or further shredded and granulated depending on its intended use. Ousby says many customers start buying the briquettes on the advice of their chimney sweep. “Because they have so little moisture, in comparison to logs, they are much cleaner burning and you don’t get the tar problems associated with unseasoned firewood.” It can be very difficult to keep deep littered beds clean enough to prevent susceptible horses being affected. There is also an increased risk of thrush, so good hoof hygiene is crucial,” says Joe. Once you know how to identify the different types of wood chips, it’s time to decide where they go on your property.

Some types of mulch, such as aromatic cedar, can reduce pest populations. The aromatic nature of the wood acts as an effective deterrent. David Ousby, director of Cambridge Wood Fuel, vacuuming joinery workshop dust and shavings for briquettes. Photograph: Graham Turner/The Guardian Spruce is dark green with silver stripes due to the needle-shaped leaves and an earthy smell which helps deter pests like aphids or beetles from getting closer to your garden. To help you separate out your wood waste, we can give you a choice of rear-end loaders, front-end loaders or different sized skips. Whatever suits your business and volumes of wood waste the best. Being rich in carbon but low in nitrogen, shredded woody materials will need to be mixed with nitrogen-rich materials such as lawn mowings to increase their decomposition rate. It will take typically 3-4 years for woody chippings to break down into crumbly compost. Shreddings with a larger proportion of greener/younger wood may reduce the time required. Once well-rotted it can be dug into the soil to improve structure.For one thing, many are concerned that these chips can pull nitrogen out of the soil. They do reduce the nitrogen level in the top inch or so of the soil, but further down the fertility of the soil is unaffected. This makes them a great choice for weed reduction, but not great if you’re starting seeds! Don’t mix mulch into the soil, as that puts the decomposing material closer to your plant roots. Cedar mulch is one of the best types of wood mulches. The natural oils within the cedarwood repel insects make it a great choice for areas prone to pests like termites. Cedar costs more upfront but will save you in pest control services over time, making this an excellent investment. For instance, mulches that are not stored or handled properly encourage harmful microbes and produce toxic chemicals like ammonia, methanol, acetic acid, to name a few. Toxic mulches smell bad but aren’t just smelly – they’re also very acidic with pH levels of 1-2. Hygiene standards need to be high when using rubber matting. Mats will need to be uplifted and thoroughly cleaned underneath to prevent a build up of ammonia and dirty bedding material. Ideally, this should be performed a minimum of once a month, and more regularly during the hotter summer months. The cost per bale is relatively cheap but you’ll need to use a lot of it to create a suitable bed as it moves around a lot and can leave bare patches, exposing the hard floor.

This is a huge question that we’ll break down for you here. It’s important to know which mulch is available to you and apply the appropriate materials to provide proper nutrients to your garden of choice. Arborist Chip Mulch Bodens Mixed Wood is a great value-for-money choice of bedding. Made from a mixture of hardwood and softwood shavings, it's super-absorbent and provides a warm and comfortable bed for your horse. It runs at 98.5 dB so, although it’s not the loudest on the market, ear protectors should still be worn. There are concerns about disease being carried by certain types of tree mulch. While good fungi can live in your mulch, disease-causing fungi can too. This is especially a concern with arborist mulches, so it’s best to request mulch from trees free of diseases for your garden’s safety.

Success stories

Over the years we have built up a loyal local following in and around Cambridge who like the fact that we are reusing waste wood that would otherwise end up in landfill.” Noise Levels: Shredders can be noisy, which isn’t ideal, so we tested the volume of each – anything above the 90-decibel mark requires earplugs or earmuffs, so we considered any models above 95 decibels loud, and anything above 100 decibels were ranked down due to being noisy.