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| Photo Credit: Rachel A. Margolis |
| This wood chipper has a top feed hopper for products that can be shredded, like newspapers and leaves. |
If you’re like me, you spend plenty of time during hurricane season wondering and hoping that the winds and rains show mercy to your beloved home and trees. Of course, it’s not just my neck of the woods that’s prone to storms with strong winds – there are plenty of areas around the country with intense weather that can tear apart gardens and trees.
Even if your trees and shrubs are fortunate enough to make it through the storms, it’s important to inspect them afterward for signs of weak and damaged branches. If you find any, they should be removed as soon as possible. Strong winds can leave dangerous, broken, dangling branches ready to fall at unsuspecting moments. These weak branches can cause property damage – as well as injure people. Usually damaged lower branches can be removed safely by homeowners with little to no problem. Branches higher up in the tree, however, are best removed by a professional tree service. You should never attempt to climb in a tree with branches of questionable strength. Safety always comes first! | Add Photo to Journal |  | | Photo Credit: Rachel A. Margolis | | This model has a side feed hopper for chipping limbs, brush and branches. |
But what should you do with those branches once you’ve got them down? Instead of hauling them off to the landfill, consider adding all those nutrients back into your garden. Chipping and shredding branches from trees and shrubs are a wonderful addition to your compost pile. Or instead of buying bags and bags of mulch, chip your own for use around your trees, shrubs and garden beds.
| Add Photo to Journal |  | | Photo Credit: Rachel A. Margolis | | This 3-inch wood chipper is suitable for chipping branches up to 3 inches in diameter. (Notice it can be attached to a hitch for hauling.) |
In fact, if your landscape is full of shrubbery and trees that frequently require trimming, a wood chipper might be a worthwhile purchase. For smaller landscapes that require minimal trimming, you can rent wood chippers for a minimal cost. The size of wood chipper you’ll need depends on the diameter of your thickest branches. The larger the machine, the larger diameter branches it can handle – and the more likely it will require a tractor or truck for hauling. Once you’ve got the wood chipper and you’re all pumped and ready to get started, keep one thing at the front of your mind at all times: safety. Although wood chippers are very beneficial (and can also be fun to use), extreme caution is needed when operating the machine.
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