Wood Chips

In the past few years, the apartment complex where I live has been using this new type of wood chips to lay around the trees and bushes. Besides it smelling terrible, it seems to be real dry. So dry in fact that there have been small smoldering fires that have started because people are throwing away their cigarettes and they land in the chips.

It takes more than a couple of buckets of water to put it out. The residents have complained about that chips and have pointed out the fires. Is there some other types of chips to recommend to the manager to prevent the fires and what could be making it smell as bad as it is?

DCMerkle

The wood itself should not smell. I would think it more likely that the chips are being treated with something that smells.

As far as the fires, I'm not sure those are the fault of the wood chips. After all, during dry spells grass can catch fire from careless smoking. Why on earth are people throwing their cigarettes in wood chips and expecting anything other than a fire?

Oh wow, that's a huge fire hazard! You would think the manager would want to change it for that reason alone instead of risking it going crazy and damaging the area.

It might be easier to have people use ash trays outside, or to remind folks to make sure their cigarette is out and disposed of safely. It almost sounds like manager chose this unpleasant mulch on purpose, to prevent people from enjoying the outdoor spaces.

Another option would be for everyone to chip in, and get something that can be placed on top to the chips to disguise their odor.

Wood chip shouldn't pose too much of a risk. I don't know to be honest but, we have it where I live and nothing has happened and we live in a very bad area. They put plants in these plant pots on several occassions only to find they had been vandalised. So now there are plant pots sat in the park with no flowers or plants in them. The park had lots of money put into it to buy flowers and they got ruined. Even the kids part has been vandalised and swings broken. There is supposed to be this climbing frame if you could call it that now because it is broken. Now in the park the only flowers left are weeds even though they do look nice daisies. The grass looks like it rarely gets cut and dogs are allowed to do their business without being caught. Even still there are dog bins to put bags in but, hardly any of them get used. It is sad really what happens in society. I know it is not just the area where I live as the poster of this message shows. It happens everywhere all around the world.

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Originally Posted by SageMother

It might be easier to have people use ash trays outside, or to remind folks to make sure their cigarette is out and disposed of safely. It almost sounds like manager chose this unpleasant mulch on purpose, to prevent people from enjoying the outdoor spaces.

Another option would be for everyone to chip in, and get something that can be placed on top to the chips to disguise their odor.

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We're not sure that they are using those wood chips other than it might have been cheaper. I noticed that when it was being laid just how dry it looked. I've seen wood chips used before, but nothing that smelled that bad or was that dry.

DCMerkle

Wood chips do not smell. Now if they were to use mulch, then you would most definitely know that something was smelling. It sounds like the wood chips need to wet down occassionally to prevent the little fires that some of your neighbors must be starting. Are they starting them on purpose?

I have always used wood chips around my trees for years. And have noticed a bad smell.

When I obtained wood chips from the city's recycle center, I hauled home several trash cans full of them in my van. Afterward, the van smelled horrible as sludge from the water processing plant had been mixed in. These wood chips cannot safely be used for plants you eat or fruit-producing trees because the water comes from toilets as well as from rain. Also, there may be many potent chemicals in the sludge.

Rose White, author
"Easy Gardens A to Z"

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Originally Posted by dcmerkle

In the past few years, the apartment complex where I live has been using this new type of wood chips to lay around the trees and bushes. Besides it smelling terrible, it seems to be real dry. So dry in fact that there have been small smoldering fires that have started because people are throwing away their cigarettes and they land in the chips.

It takes more than a couple of buckets of water to put it out. The residents have complained about that chips and have pointed out the fires. Is there some other types of chips to recommend to the manager to prevent the fires and what could be making it smell as bad as it is?

DCMerkle

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Don't know what people think and throw away the cigarettes always in the wrong place. But you can use another thing that can help you or do something that people can not throw the cigarettes on it.

I get mulch/wood chips delivered in bulk. Ten yards at a time, and yes it does stink because it is still composting in that big pile they are getting it from. I live four miles from a site that makes bagged mulch for the big box stores. If the wind is blowing in the right/wrong direction, the smell will bowl you over. I would suggest using pea gravel in the beds of your apartment complex. No fires, and very little addition each and every year,if any.