Difference between revisions of "Wood chips and applications of wood chips in stormwater"
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==Overview and description== | ==Overview and description== | ||
| + | Wood chips are small- to medium-sized pieces of wood formed by cutting or chipping larger pieces of wood such as trees, branches, logging residues, stumps, roots, and wood waste. They include bark, wood, and often leaves. In stormwater applications, wood chips are used as a mulch to provide one or more beneficial functions. Potential benefits of wood chips include but are not limited to the following. They | ||
| + | *decompose slowly; | ||
| + | *slowly release nutrients; | ||
| + | *effectively retain and slowly release moisture; | ||
| + | *moderate temperature; | ||
| + | *provide weed control; | ||
| + | *are sustainabile; | ||
| + | *are typically rewlatively cheap to purchase; | ||
| + | *resist compaction; | ||
| + | *create a diverse environment for soil biota; and | ||
| + | *may sequester some pollutants. such as nitrogen. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Physical and chemical properties of wood chips vary depending on the source and method of production. | ||
==Applications for wood chips in stormwater management== | ==Applications for wood chips in stormwater management== | ||
Revision as of 19:50, 16 April 2021
This page is in development
This page provides information on wood chips. While providing extensive information on wood chips, there is a section focused specifically on stormwater applications for wood chips.
Contents
- 1 Overview and description
- 2 Applications for wood chips in stormwater management
- 3 Properties of wood chips
- 4 Effects of wood chips on physical and chemical properties of soil and bioretention media
- 5 Standards, classification, testing, and distributors
- 6 Effects of aging
- 7 Storage, handling, and field application
- 8 Sustainability
- 9 References
Overview and description
Wood chips are small- to medium-sized pieces of wood formed by cutting or chipping larger pieces of wood such as trees, branches, logging residues, stumps, roots, and wood waste. They include bark, wood, and often leaves. In stormwater applications, wood chips are used as a mulch to provide one or more beneficial functions. Potential benefits of wood chips include but are not limited to the following. They
- decompose slowly;
- slowly release nutrients;
- effectively retain and slowly release moisture;
- moderate temperature;
- provide weed control;
- are sustainabile;
- are typically rewlatively cheap to purchase;
- resist compaction;
- create a diverse environment for soil biota; and
- may sequester some pollutants. such as nitrogen.
Physical and chemical properties of wood chips vary depending on the source and method of production.
Applications for wood chips in stormwater management
Properties of wood chips
This section includes a discussion of chemical and physical properties of wood chips, and potential contaminants in wood chips,
Chemical-physical properties of wood chips
Chemical and physical properties of wood chips
Potential contaminants in wood chips
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Effects of wood chips on physical and chemical properties of soil and bioretention media
In this section we provide information on effects of wood chips on pollutant attenuation and on physical properties of soil and engineered media.
Effects of wood chips on retention and fate of phosphorus
Effects of wood chips on retention and fate of other pollutants
Effects of wood chips on soil physical and hydraulic properties
Effects of wood chips on soil fertility, plant growth, and microbial function
Standards, classification, testing, and distributors
Wood chip standards and specifications
| Recommended values for wood chips used in a growth media (Source: see reference list in this section) | |
| pH | |
| Electrical conductivity (ms/cm) | |
| Cation exchange capacity (meq/100g) | |
| Nitrogen (%) | |
| Phosphorus (%) | |
| Potassium (%) | |
| Copper (% minimum) | |
| C:N ratio (minimum) | |
| Lignin (%) | |
| Total organic matter (% minimum) | |
| Moisture (%) | |
| Ash content (%) | |
| Impurities | |
| Fiber content | |
| Expansion | l/kg |
| Water holding capacity | l/kg |
Distributors
Test methods
Effects of aging
Prabhu and Thomas (2002) provide an extensive discussion of wood chips decomposition.