LIMBER TIMBER

You won't have to lumber over that brush pile with these tips.

- SUSAN M. BRACKNEY

All it takes is one good storm - or just one very windy day- to send tree branches earthward. Those fallen sticks and large limbs can really add up. That goes for any woody shrub trimmings you happen to generate while pruning as well. Before long, you can be left with a truly massive brush pile. Although lots of people choose to burn their brush, you can extract a lot of value from that old pile of sticks. Here are six ways to put your brush pile to better use.

BIOCHAR BASICS

As a soil amendment, biochar can improve soil structure, moisture retention capabilities and overall nutrient availability to plants. And, as it happens, dried limbs and branches — especially those from softwoods — make great feedstock for making biochar.

Whether you dig your own burn pit or use a biochar kiln, any limbs from your brush pile that you intend to include for this specialized burning process (pyrolysis) had better be aged and bone-dry. Ideally, they should be about 3 inches in diameter or smaller, and they should break easily with a loud crack when you bend-test them.

Because it can take up to 100 pounds of brush to make just 10 to 20 pounds of biochar, your best bet is to save up limbs and sticks over several months’ time, sorting them by size as you go. Gardening with Biochar author Jeff Cox recommends making a couple of piles — one for branches between two and three inches in diameter and another for sticks less than two inches around. Cover these piles with tarps to keep the rain out as you wait for the sorted wood to reach levels of 10% moisture or less. At that point, they’ll be ready for their transformation from plain-old yard waste to pyrolyzed prize.