7 Ways to Recycle a Tree in Ann Arbor, MI

Wondering how to dispose of a tree in Ann Arbor after pruning or cutting it down? Here are 7 ways to recycle a tree, keep wood out of the landfill, and put it to good use.

Many Ann Arbor homeowners are astonished by the volume of woody debris left over after pruning a large tree or cutting down even a smaller tree. Trees produce a lot more wood than most people realize! That then raises the question of what to do with all that wood?

Depending on who you hire to do your tree work, you may get to decide what happens to all those branches and logs. And you may be surprised to find that there are quite a few options for recycling the wood to ensure that such a precious resource doesn’t end up in a landfill.

In This Article

• Discover how your felled tree can become a valuable resource for your Ann Arbor home, from free firewood to enhance cozy Michigan winters to organic mulch for your garden.
• Learn about the surprising wildlife benefits of leaving logs in your yard, creating natural habitats that transform your Ann Arbor property into a thriving ecosystem.
• Uncover the creative potential hidden in your trees, from DIY woodworking projects to hiring a portable sawmill for custom lumber that tells a uniquely Ann Arbor story.
• Explore eco-friendly options for tree removal that align with Ann Arbor’s green initiatives, ensuring your tree care choices contribute positively to our local environment.
• Find out how choosing the right Ann Arbor tree service can provide you with multiple recycling options, turning a necessary task into an opportunity to benefit your property and community.

Option 1. Keep Logs for Firewood

As Michigan residents, we all know how valuable firewood can be. For those with a wood-burning furnace, you can save a lot of money by producing your own firewood from a tree in your yard.

While not every tree care company will provide you with firewood, here at Highland Tree Services in Ann Arbor, we’re happy to leave you with manageable logs, or even split the logs into firewood for you after cutting down a tree.

Keep in mind that wood needs to dry for 6-12 months before being burned.

Option 2. Shred and Keep as Mulch

If you like to garden and care for other plants and trees on your property, then you know how important organic mulch is. Good mulch can boost the health of plants and trees by managing moisture in the soil, preventing erosion, suppressing weeds, and regulating soil temperature to keep plants happy.

But mulch costs money—unless it comes from your own property. Whether you need to have a tree cut down or just need a few branches pruned from your trees, the wood can be run through a chipper and the wood chips can be used as free, organic mulch.

Our team at Highland Tree Services is happy to do this for our Ann Arbor customers.

Option 3. Have the Wood Removed from Your Property

If you live on a small residential lot, you may not have the option to store an abundance of firewood or mulch. In these cases, it’s best to have the wood removed from your property altogether.

This is also the best option for diseased trees or those infested with pests. Keeping the wood on your property can increase the chances of pests or diseases spreading to other trees.

Some tree service companies may charge extra to haul away the wood from tree removal. At Highland Tree Services, this service is included in each job. And don’t worry, if we remove wood from your property, we will never send it to the landfill. We always repurpose it, so it doesn’t go to waste.

Option 4. Use the Wood in Compost

While wood in the form of branches, logs, or wood chips can take a long time to break down, they can still be added to compost piles and will eventually decompose. If you compost at home and want a good supply of material to add to the pile, then have your tree or pruned branches run through a chipper and keep the wood chips on site.

The smaller the pieces of wood, the faster they’ll decompose. And chips from softwood trees like pines and spruces will decompose faster than hardwoods like oaks or maples.

Option 5. Use a Felled Tree for Woodworking Projects

Woodworkers are always looking for lumber to add to their collection and eventually turn into a brand-new creation. If you have wood from a tree that wasn’t rotting on the inside, then the lumber can be used for all sorts of projects.

Depending on what you hope to craft, the wood may benefit from drying before carving.

Option 6. Hire a Portable Sawmill and Turn Logs into Lumber

If you want to use your trees for larger or more complex woodworking projects, it may be best to have your logs processed by a sawmill. The good news is that you can hire a portable sawmill to come to your property and do this onsite.

If you’re in Ann Arbor, there are numerous local companies that offer this service, such as Log-Gistics Portable Sawmill. This is a great option for those interested in crafting tables using live edge slabs, decorative beams for home interiors, and much more. It’s much more satisfying to complete a woodworking project with wood from a tree in your yard.

Option 7. Leave it in the Yard to Support Wildlife

Alternatively, you can use logs or large branches in your landscaping. This is particularly popular in native gardens with a goal of creating a natural area that attracts local wildlife. This may not be a viable option for homes in an HOA.

Logs and snags (dead trees left standing) in the landscape provide shelter for many different species, from chipmunks and snakes to salamanders and beneficial insects. Even a brush pile made up of branches, tree bark, and other woody scraps can serve as a valuable hiding place for wildlife.

Work with a Local Tree Care Company That Provides You with Options

Not every tree care company or guy with a chainsaw will offer all these recycling options when they prune or remove a tree from your yard. Some might offer to take the tree off your property, and some might mulch in for you. But few offer the range of options above.

For land and homeowners in Ann Arbor, MI, who want to use or recycle the wood from their trees, consider hiring the Highland Tree Services team. Whether we’re removing a large tree or pruning select branches, we’re happy to help you reuse the wood.

We can send the wood through a chipper and create free mulch for you to use in your garden. Or we can leave usable logs on your property or even split the logs into firewood for you. We never send wood to the landfill, and always find a use for it, whether you want to keep it or not. Some of it may even end up on our local farm, where we’ll often use it as mulch or compost.

Let Highland Tree Services Remove Your Trees and Recycle Them Properly

Whether you’re looking for tree removal or pruning services, you can ensure the woody remains are put to good use by hiring the local Ann Arbor tree company that guarantees it!

Call the Highland Tree Services team at (734) 999-3880 or use our online form to request a proposal today and see how we help keep Ann Arbor green by keeping tree debris out of the landfill.