Where do trees go?

Typically, there are three or four main destinations for trees at the end of their lives, there are a few more like charcoal and biochar (even landfill) but these aren’t particularly widespread, at least not in Scotland.

Up until recently firewood was the go-to for end-of-life trees, particularly hardwoods. The problem with firewood from large trees and non-farmed trees is that due to the lack of uniformity, it can be difficult and time consuming to process them into firewood, especially if it cannot fit through a firewood processor and it takes time to season before use.

In recent times, biomass fuel has seen a huge increase in demand, so much so contractors are now being paid for their woodchip and in large enough quantities, it will even be taken away straight from site. We recently produced over 17t of woodchip from a re-pollarding job in one day! With ever increasingly large machinery, the speed and efficiency at which trees become woodchip and straight into the back of a lorry is a spectacle. The benefits are that its quick and easy to get rid of and cashflows quickly in comparison to the other outputs.

The final category is timber. Often the last to be thought about, possibly as it’s by far the slowest to make a return on and often logistically the most difficult. Turning trees into timber ensures the CO2 sequestered throughout the tree’s lifetime remains locked up in the timber and then whatever that timber becomes. As it isn’t being combust, unlike the other methods, it is arguably the most environmentally and climate conscious outcome from an end-of-life tree.

From our perspective, end of life trees should all be subject to the same question, could this tree become a timber product primarily, with character and local provenance, supporting our local timber industry and craftworkers in producing some of the most magnificent furniture, flooring and all sorts of amazing objects that hard and durable softwoods are able to become.

Trees that are worth milling, as not all are, will still produce firewood and even woodchip from the other parts of the tree not suitable for becoming timber. The time and fuel costs alone should seriously be considered before turning large hardwood stems into biomass or firewood as they are much less environmentally sound outputs and in the long run produce a much lower value product from an economic, environmental and social perspective.

Ask yourself where did your dining table or wooden floor grow?