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SPECIAL FEA SPECIAL FEATURE Grinding tree and brush debris into useful product By Dawn Buzynski n the spring and summer months, hauling away trees and brush — from storms or land-clearing efforts — is a steady business for tree care contractors. It’s a big job in itself and much of the time the job is complete once the wood and waste is hauled away.However, tree care contractors are leaving money on the table if they drop off and walk away.There is a prime opportunity to expand their business by recycling the wood waste themselves.Most of the time, tree contractors haul away the material to a yard-waste or wood-waste recycling operation for processing, but there is no reason to pass on additional revenue.With some forethought and strategic planning, a tree contactor can become a supplier of mulch, biomass or compost. “A contractor wanting to enter any of these markets needs to under- stand the potential in their area, the demand, and how far they can economically transport the end product,” said Jay Sarver, recycling and forestry sales manager for Vermeer Corporation.“They also need to know what their costs will be related to operating the equipment on a daily basis.” Mulch market Mulch is the strongest market derived from processed wood waste. Biomass is second, which, according to Sarver, is a driving force in the mulch market. “The more outlets you have for your end product, the better price you get for it,”said Sarver.“Mulch is still strong throughout the U.S.,but biomass is rising.”Although it’s small,compost is another market for wood waste because of the need for carbon in the composting process.However, by far,mulch is the leading end-product use of wood waste,and can be lucrative for tree care contractors if the market potential/demand is there. 18 Arbor Age / July/August 2011 There are different kinds of mulch,and each has a different processing specification.A contractor needs to study the needs of potential customers and where the mulch will be used before determining how to process it. “You need to make sure that you’re providing the best end product that you can for your customer base, but also that you’re not spinning your wheels spending too much time on a spec product that has no demand,”said Sarver. A business plan is essential before investing time and money into the new venture. Sarver suggests planning out at least five years. “They need to look at a five-year growth plan and see how much potential they have —now and in the future — and then match the equipment to meet those forecasted needs,” he said. Different outlets have different requirements. Retail stores will require bagged mulch, whereas a mulch yard sells in bulk.Being flexible allows for a broadened customer base. According to Sarver, there is a definite market for specialty mulch —such as colored mulch or mulch for playgrounds — but those take additional time and cost to process.The colored mulch needs to be screened to eliminate fines prior to the color process,while certification is required to produce playground mulch.It may also require the use of magnets on the conveyors to remove any ferrous metal pieces. “It can give you an edge in the marketplace,because you’re produc- ing a higher-quality product,”he added. Equipment needs First,and most importantly,a tree care contractor looking to process wood waste for any market will need a grinder or chipper.Whether it’s a tub or horizontal grinder is determined by several factors.A tub grinder requires more room to operate than a horizontal grinder,but it can han- dle more material.Tub grinders are designed to process heavy, large-diameter material such as stumps and root balls, while horizontal www.arborage.com