202 was felled, and the homeowner had to request removal if he or she did not want to keep the wood. Other des- tinations for removed wood that were mentioned by participants included wood processing plants, recycling centers, private houses, and woodlots. In the UI terri- tory, many participants expressed that the logs were taken to a processing plant to be ground into mulch (n = 11). Participants were asked how often homeowners kept the wood generated by utility tree removals and how often people looking for firewood took the wood when homeowners chose not to keep it. Crew mem- bers found it difficult to provide specific estimates of frequency since homeowners’ desires for wood included several factors. For example, homeowners were more likely to keep hardwood than softwood because hard- wood was more desirable for firewood: “You want like a hardwood for . . . firewood, like hickory, oak, things of that nature.” Homeowners in rural areas were more likely than those in urban areas to keep the wood or give the wood to neighbors, friends, or family. In response to being asked about how often homeowners chose to keep the wood from utility removals, one participant responded: “A lot, if it’s out of the urban—like the city area—then most, pretty much all the time. But if we’re in like a downtown area, or in a more like suburban area or whatever . . . we’ll take the wood. But people in the woods want the wood.” In addition, homeowners were more likely to keep the wood as winter approaches than during the sum- mer. However, homeowners were less likely to keep larger pieces of wood that may be too difficult to manage with available tools: “You’ll have customers come out and say, ‘Can you leave the small pieces?’ . . . they usually don’t want the big pieces.” According to participants, homeowners in wealth- ier areas were less likely to keep the wood than those in less wealthy areas. Additionally, the wood was less likely to be picked up by other people in wealthier areas, according to participants. Kloster et al: Tree Crew Perspectives on Wood Product Recovery Program Perceptions (Pre-Implementation) Positive Impressions of a Wood Recovery Program The participants who were not involved in the pilot program were asked about their general impressions of a potential wood recovery program (Figure 1B). Many of the participants expressed that they had no concerns about wood recovery taking more time than their usual workflow (n = 22), or no safety concerns (n = 24). Several participants believed that the new process might be faster and easier than their current removal process, as it would require fewer chainsaw cuts to remove a tree: “It might even make it easier because we nor- mally cut that in half, four feet.” “Yeah, I can’t see why leaving it in ten foot lengths is any different, once it’s down to here, versus cutting it into three or four, six foot lengths. I don’t see the difference.” Many participants stated that they already tried to preserve the butt log at a longer length when possible, as this saved time and generated fewer pieces for the log truck to pick up (n = 23). Participants also expressed interest in the benefits of the program to society, particularly generating funds for the commu- nity and reducing wood waste going to landfills: “If it’s a possibility for everybody to benefit from that process then I would be all for that.” “That would be a really good idea, especially if it involves planting trees that we’re taking out.” “I’m all for recycling and everything, just trying to make the most of things, ’cause we just, you know, a lot of the stuff just goes to waste.” Concerns About the Program Some participants expressed concerns that it may take them longer to remove longer logs. Measuring the correct length of the log and using more caution when felling logs were expected to take more time. Thirteen participants (n = 13) stated that the new pro- tocol had the potential to cause safety issues because of proximity to electric and communication wires. Some expressed concern about the larger fall radius of a longer log or the need to rig down larger pieces of wood with the potential for injury: ©2020 International Society of Arboriculture
May 2020
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