Can I use the wood chips and bark for anything?

[fprintf]

I just finished moving, stacking and splitting some large pieces from a cord I got delivered. After raking the lawn and picking up a bunch of wood chips I find I have an entire wheelbarrow full. Can I do anything with these? I could sort the bigger pieces out, but I am just wondering if there is anything I can do to dry these and use them as firestarters or kindling or something.

Or should I just throw it in the compost pile?

 

[rdust]

Honestly it depends on my mood at the time of dealing with the mess. Bark I'll dump in some paths we have that get muddy. Some of the stuff that would make good kindling gets dumped in 5 gallon bucks but that's usually too much extra work sorting good from the bad. Most of it now gets loaded into the wheelbarrow and dumped in the woods or if I'm burning outside at the time I'll burn it.

 

[buddylee]

Burn it. As an older friend of mine says, "if it makes BTU's, burn it ". I dump mine into the Hardy.

 

[smokinj]

Compost, animal bedding mulching firewood starter. Sure there is more.

 

[Thistle]

Slivers & other pieces from splitting are saved for kindling,bark pieces (unless its Shagbark Hickory) gets scattered on any muddy spots on the trail or dumped behind a stack.

 

[cygnus]

Some of the stuff that would make good kindling gets dumped in 5 gallon bucks but that's usually too much extra work sorting good from the bad.

...and compost.

 

[schortie]

I throw some on the compost pile, but most of it gets used to mulch around my wood stacks.

 

[midwestcoast]

My bark and small chips gets thrown into a compost heap (my other composter is small) then used for mulch after a year or 2 along with some leave mold.
Big, thick bark pieces get thrown in soft moist areas or burned.

Bigger splitting chips & chunks get thrown in buckets or bags and used for kindling or smoker chips.

 

[nate379]

I throw all that stuff in my burn barrel. It would burn fine in the stove, but it would make too much mess in the house so not worth it.

 

[soupy1957]

I've been known to favor chips from Hickory, for the wood stove. Not so much for any BTU potential, as much as the aroma. Bark, after I've finished stacking, is always around. I just throw it into a pile alongside my kindling pieces, and use it for start ups.

-Soupy1957

 

[PapaDave]

The utility trailer has quite a layer of bark on it from hauling firewood to/from the stacks in the back.
They'll be piled in the shed for use as kindling this winter. The rest stays in the cutting area until I get the urge to plow into a pile. My sis-in-law commented how much compost I have in that pile.
It's a work in progress, but most could be used now, and the rest left to decay some more. I need to make a sifter.
Great, another project. :coolsmile:

 

[Adios Pantalones]

All of the above, plus use as kindling.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Welcome to the forum fprintf.

You'll find that most folks do burn the wood chips and they work great in the early fall when you just want to take the chill from the house. If they are dry enough you can use for kindling and as rdust stated, the bark works great in some of those wet spots if you have paths you walk. We even have some as mulch around some fruit trees as they tend to hold some moisture and that is needed on our yellow sand as it dries out fast.

 

[firefighterjake]

Large pieces of bark and wood = bagged for kindling.

Sawdust and small stuff I either leave where it is or rake up and haul into the woods.

 

[billb3]

I have woods I can toss mine in.
(actually I split in the woods so I don't do any tossing any more)

Bark will burn and burn better if its dry ( kinda smells if it's wet), but it's a lot easier to just spread it out in the woods if you have any nearby.

I've left chips in a pile for future use and ended up with a huge yellow jacket nest in it so you might not want to leave it all piled up anywhere.

 

[mecreature]

compost pile

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Bill, you are right about those yellow jackets!

 

[greythorn3]

i burn as much as i can! the rest gets tossed in holes im trying to fill around the property

 

[mywaynow]

I do exactly what many others are saying here. The bulk of the bark goes into a low spot about a truck length and width. Smaller shreds get thrown into a pile to use as kindling. Processed a lot of Red Oak this past year. That stuff sheds most of it's bark when you split it, and it's thick. I have raised the hieght of the low spot by about 8 inches with bark. No more slippin' and slidin' when I bring a load in.

 

[bja105]

You can make good firestarters with it. Start with a waxed cardboard egg carton, fill each spot with dry chips or sawdust. Melt wax over each. When cool, you can separate each cell. One or two start a lot of wood, and can be lit with a match.

We use all the candles people give as gifts.

I don't know if the burning wax is safe for your stoves, but our old POS is not hurt.


I want more chips and sawdust. I need more carbon for my compost.

 

[maverick06]

How much of this do you guys usually get? I ordered a total of 4 cords, and had TONS of this junk after i was done stacking it. At least 4 wheel barrows full of it (1/cord). I think thats a bit too high, might try a different supplier next year.

I try to burn as much as I can, otherwise i toss it on the ground where I am stacking to help keep the logs out of the dirt. otherwise it burns, it doesnt burn well, but it burns. Sometimes I will put it in a brown bag, then into the shed to dry. When the stove is really going, and has a full bed of red hot coals, i toss the bag in, burns sort of like a log. I get BTU out of it.