Blogger Finds a Way to Get Free Mulch!

Look at that picture. That's my beautiful free load of mulch – also known as arborist wood chips. I'm so happy. 

I'm not in the business of taking down trees.  My mission is very much to see that communities preserve all the trees they can, but sometimes trees have to come down.  And the good news is that even when they come down, trees keep right on giving if we have the good sense to use those arborist wood chips.  

I was at the Georgia Urban Forest Council's conference yesterday in Madison when I got the idea to get my free mulch.  I had been talking with the Georgia Power forester for my region when she told me that they'd contracted out recently to take some trees out from under power lines in my area.  So, I asked her, "Can I have some of that mulch?"  "Sure!" – she said.  "When you see the trucks out, just stop and ask them if they'll deliver it to your house or call the company that's doing the work and tell them you'd like it."  Keep in mind, these are companies that contract out to Georgia Power – the trucks will not say "Georgia Power" on them. They will have the name of the tree company that has contracted to do the work. 

And it doesn't have to be power line clearance.  Any time you see a tree company taking down trees in your area, stop and ask them if you can have the tree mulch.  If you live close by, they will probably deliver it that day. 

So, now I have a big, ole pile of tree mulch out in front of my house and I couldn't be happier. Especially since my son(s) will be doing most of the work of spreading it.

Do you realize how much money I've saved now that I don't have to buy bales of pine straw?  The best price out there is $3.50 a bale. And how many bales does it take to "beautify" my yard?  Oh, 100 bales would be a starting point. And there's more.  Arborist wood chips are unquestionably a healthy addition to the soil in the urban landscape.  Linda Chalker-Scott, researcher out of Washington State University, has this to say about the use of arborist wood chips in the landscape.

If a tree has to come down, and sometimes they do, why not put those wood chips to good use?  It's a frugal and sound way to make the best use of our resources.