Over the past months (maybe over a year) we have trimmed mesquite tree branches away from the driveway and in the back and front yard areas. We also recently removed a few branches from the plum tree in the courtyard to encourage it to grow upward. When we don’t have time to break the limbs down and stuff them into the refuse bin, we sometimes drag them across the road to our lot over there to be dealt with at a future time.
Well, the future is here. Yesterday, Damsel and I took the chipper that we bought last spring over there to dispose of the branches and create some mulch for Damsel’s gardening. I took the 3KW Honda Generator in the back of the pickup so we could have power to run the chipper.
We got most of the work done in that single session and created a box full of wood chip mulch that Damsel can spread on her trees and other items she grows. There remains some thicker branches that we will chop into firewood for our neighbors that have fireplaces.
When operating the chipper, the manufacturer recommends protection for eyes and ears (pieces fly and it’s loud). I borrowed the goggles and earmuffs from the range bag for the job. Click on the image to enlarge.
I gather up what falls in the back yard, sort it out, and let the good “burnable” wood dry out over the Summer, and then turn it in to kindling and firewood in the Fall.
Most of the deadfall is cottonwood, and you don’t burn that in your fireplace unless you want to tick off the neighbors, as it stinks.
BUT….we have some decent sized pine, apple, and crab apple branches that land in the yard, and they burn just great once I dry them out all Summer.
I didn’t know that about burning cottonwood – interesting.
I still have a pretty good sized log of plum tree wood over there. I am going to chip it up to see if it works for smoke in the smoker like the mesquite does. I hope it wont stink up the neighborhood. Plum is very hard wood like apple.
We get baskets full of pine cones from the neighbor’s trees, too. I dry them out in the garage, and toss a few in the fireplace. Makes nice colors and pops!
We would do that in Torrance in our fireplace there. Only difference is Damsel and I would buy them at Lowe’s or somewhere. There were no conifers in our immediate neighborhood.