Developing a plan for utilizing wood waste, particularly in light of EAB-related tree removals, is recommended. Here are some strategies for a community to consider based on lessons learned from other states:
- Determine specific needs within your town for wood products, such as mulch, lumber, or other products.
- Develop a list of local wood processors. Plan for wood to be utilized at its highest value.
Firewood
Woodchips/mulch
Wood chips (energy)
Sawlogs
Wood products/crafts
Follow Vermont's recommended practices for moving ash wood from the Infested Area and processing ash wood to SLOW THE SPREAD OF EAB.
Create collection or debris disposal yards. This is an effective way to collect infested wood from various groups, such as public and private landowners and homeowners, at one accessible location where it can be sorted, processed, and merchandised. These yards can play a regulatory role, enabling state and federal officials to contain affected material and inspect finished products efficiently before being shipped out of a quarantined area.
Plan wood transportation needs in advance. A loader truck is required to collect and transport material to a sawmill. If there is enough wood and the site is large enough, consider acquiring or borrowing a portable sawmill.
Keep current on quarantines and mandates. Maintain discussions with local forest product businesses as well as state and federal regulatory agencies to ensure compliance with federal and state quarantines and mandates. Check for up-to-date information on state quarantines.
Partner with other communities and local businesses. Partnering with a small sawmill or portable mill in your local area may allow a community to use reclaimed ash lumber for flooring in the town office, library, or schools. Small or portable mills can process and sell to local contractors, craftsman, hobbyists, and residents to gain higher value from removed trees. Several towns can join together and partner with recycling centers and solid waste districts to achieve the same results to capture a higher value and not send every piece through a chipper. By developing an Emergency Operations Plan, your town may already have Memorandums of Understanding/Mutual Aid Agreements with other municipalities as well as utilities for assistance or equipment use. Partnerships also allow your community to broker group or volume prices, prearrange contracts and seek grants.
Resources
My Ash Tree is Dead... Now What Do I Do? from Michigan State University Extension. Utilizing Municipal Trees: Ideas From Across the Country. from U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Area State & Private Forestry. Wood Utilization Options for Urban Trees Infested by Invasive Species. by Brashaw, B., et al. 2012. Recycling Municipal Trees, A Guide for Marketing Sawlogs from Street Removals Municipalities, from USDA, Forest Service, Northeastern Area, State and Private Forestry, Forest Resources Management Illinois EAB Wood Utilization Ash Utilization Options Project Southeast Michigan RC&D Council Cost Effective Tree Removals for Invasive Species Attacks U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area, Southeast Michigan RC&D Council, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Michigan DNR, Lansing, Michigan. Using Industrial Clusters to Build an Urban Wood Utilization Program: A Twin Cities Case Study by Bratkovich Stephen; Fernholz, Kathryn The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources conducted listening sessions about the impending ash wood surplus.