$500 USD for bagged compost or mulch?

[DirtMechanic]

So with the spring trimming done.....

Its at least 500 to fuel a 8hour use of a 12 inch chipper grinder. It occurs to me that the money would also buy commercial bagged black kow composted manure 50lbs x 100bags or compost of a similar volume. While I want to appreciate reuse of local materials, the primary contributution of stem wood is reported to be carbon dioxide, as it does not have the ratio of N to C that the smaller ramial twig wood has. So I am curious, what would you choose, have the city pickup the bulk for free and use the savings for purchasing bagged materials or spend the money and compost the chips from a 12" chipper?

Edit to say the hickory is destined for my smokers.

 

[Silentrunning]

DM, for $500 you should be able to buy a descent used chipper. This will be smaller and definitely won't chop everything you have there but will make a good dent in it. When I trim I put all the trimmings out in the woods to rot and return to the ground.
As a side note, I have the same tree face and shepherds hook that you have.

 

[LIcenter]

Second photo; the tree to the left is not smiling. Think it knows something is up, or down in it's case? In my neck of the woods, people will pick up most of what you have if it's free. A lot of wood burners around here.

 

[DirtMechanic]

DM, for $500 you should be able to buy a descent used chipper. This will be smaller and definitely won't chop everything you have there but will make a good dent in it. When I trim I put all the trimmings out in the woods to rot and return to the ground.
As a side note, I have the same tree face and shepherds hook that you have.

I have a 8hp 3 inch chipper already, and it is a good rig, but I literally have 7 other piles of firewood in addition to this new material. The chipper I want to rent is a 85 hp diesel 12 inch commercial rig.

@LIcenter I can ask and advertise, but it will be 80 degrees Tuesday, so maybe the bonfire crowd would like it?

 

[TomatoTango]

I’d go with the compost or whatever you believe gives you the biggest bang for your buck in the garden. I have a large chipper that attaches to our tractor that I use to mulch limbs (under 8” thick) but I strictly use the wood chips as weed mulch in between raised beds.