Clearing the Woods for the Tub Grinder
We're all very busy clearing the woods in preparation for the tub grinder.
As many of you know, I feel very strongly about composting. In fact, an entire corner of my farm is devoted to this important process. During the year, my outdoor grounds crew amasses quite a large pile of organic debris - bark, stumps, logs, and brush. All of it is either repurposed as milled lumber, or left to decay and made into garden dressings, such as mulch and compost. To help with the decomposition process, a tub grinder comes to the property once a year. This large piece of machinery will be here this week, so it's a race to get everything piled up and ready.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
-
- As part of the woodland maintenance around my farm, dead, damaged, and diseased trees that need to come down are marked with spray paint. Smaller, manageable trees are taken down by my outdoor grounds crew, while giant trees are left for our friends at SavATree. This week, we’re doing as much as we can in preparation for the tub grinder.
-
- Behind my vegetable greenhouse, Phurba is clearing the old, unproductive grape vines. The beds will be amended and prepared for a new crop of grapes.
-
- Here is Phurba taking all the debris to our compost yard, where it will be added to the “grinding” pile.
-
- Pasang and Domi fill the dump truck with old stumps cut earlier this year. Some of the debris is left over from the cleanup after Storm Isaias.
-
- Everything from around the property is gathered and transported to our pile. Tub grinders are expensive to rent, so it is important to maximize the time it is here.
-
- Chhiring brings more wood to the dump truck. As trees and branches are cut down, they are placed in neat piles near the carriage road, so they can be collected in a quick and efficient manner.
-
- Here, Pasang is in the process of cutting down a diseased tree. It is so important for the crew to wear the proper safety equipment whenever they use sharp equipment. Pasang is wearing apron chaps, and a hard hat with a face shield and ear protectors.
-
- There’s always time to stop and appreciate nature. This is bracket fungus growing on one side of the cut tree. Bracket fungus is often referred to as shelf fungus because of the way it sticks out from the infected tree. They are called polypores.
-
- Pasang cuts it down as low to the ground as possible.
-
- Most of the time when a tree is removed, its root system remains alive. To help the tree rot more quickly, we make an “x” shaped plunge cut in the center of the leftover stump.
-
- Behind my storage building, Fernando works on cleaning up an area used to store our supply of pots, wood, and other outdoor materials.
-
- Pete organizes the spare wooden stakes and adds any unusable pieces to the pile. It’s always nice to get everything organized and in its proper place.
-
- My antique wooden fence rails are piled neatly and carefully on one side – these will NOT go into the grinder. They are beautiful pieces of 100-year-old white spruce fencing that’s used around all my pastures.
-
- These logs marked with an “x” will be put through a portable sawmill and made into usable lumber boards. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to various sizes.
-
- Here is one of the piles that will be put into the grinder. Old, stakes and logs that will be made into much finer wood chips.
-
- Pasang tackles another tree in the back of one of my hay fields near what I call my “Contemporary House.” This tree is also well marked for taking down. Using a chain saw, Pasang cuts a notch on one side. The notch should always face the felling direction. Then he makes a back cut to make a hinge so the tree could tilt and eventually fall.
-
- Chhiring removes the tree pieces with our trusted Hi-Lo and takes it to the pile.
-
- This pile is growing quickly – there will be lots of wood to mill and grind.
-
- And here is a view of my compost area – one of the most important areas on the property. It’s actually very organized. These piles are divided into types of debris – some in various stages of decay. Wood chips, mulch, leaf mold, grass clippings, and organic matter made up of manure and biodegradable materials. Most of these piles will be combined and put through the grinder as well. I love that all of my garden beds are top-dressed and enriched with gorgeous compost made right here on the farm. I like to think of it as black gold – the nutrient-rich result of an ageless ecological process.
-
- It is a very busy week at the farm. Here’s Chhiring delivering another load to the compost yard. I will share lots of great photos of the tub grinder at work in an upcoming blog – be sure to stay tuned.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
