In the below picture, the farm brings in wood chip material and wood from a tree service. Most tree services are happy as heck to find ways to depose of their daily waste.....to avoid paying $80.00 per load at the county refuse site. To us...this is not "waste", it's gold! The pile below was 42 feet long. I have spent the week picking and pulling this pile...to get it stacked. Halfway mark! I have found lizards by the hundreds living within the woodpile. Termites and wood beetles too. This pile is actually a accumulation of two years worth of deliveries.
It's all stacked now! I have hand split some of the more seasoned wood, which cracks with an axe with ease. Wood that has been stored for at least two years will split with ease. We heat our farm house strictly with a wood burning stove. Heating bills from the SMUD is non existence here.
Much debris is on the ground.....and is used too! Nothing goes to waste here at the farm. This debris is loaded with insects. Instead of hauling it away at a cost (fuel, dump fees, time), I spread it out thick under the trees and shrubs. This will then promote more insects, for the chickens to eat! The debris will also hold down the moister from the summer heat, saving us the cost of running the farm well. Finally....all this stuff will break down into compost, rich with nutrients for the plants. It's a win / win deal.
