Expert: Greg - 2/16/2007

Question
We were actually thinking about making wood chips to sell as apple wood smoking chips for people to use in barbecuing on the grill, but I am surprised and intrigued that the trees may be salvageable.  I'd love to hear more about how to reclaim the trees and make this property into a viable orchard once again.  They are currently intertwined with wild roses, but I assume we could just cut them away.

I look forward to hearing back from you.

Tari
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
My husband and I own 30+ acres of untended apple orchard in the Northeastern panhandle of West Virginia that has lain fallow for many years.  It recently came into our possession and we are wondering what to do with the property.

Because the apple trees are quite old (planted in the 60's) and no longer produce good fruit, we were thinking we could convert the old trees into apple wood smoking chips and clear the way for a new crop of something.

Does this sound like a reasonable idea, and if so, do you know the process for preparing wood chips for smoking, beyond the chipping process?

Thank you for time and I look forward to hearing back from you.
-----Answer-----
Hello Tari

First of all, I would like to say, you can make the Apple Orchard productive again. Apple Trees have a long productive lifespan, and 40-45 years is about Mid-Life.


With this in Mind, I assume when you say "Smoking" you are talking about getting them Hot so they can decompose?

If this is the Case, I would suggest just digging a Hole and Burying them after you have chipped them into small pieces. Adding a layer of Soil, along with any green matter < Nitrogen> will help with the process. Keep the Pit open, and Water often. Apple is a Hard wood so the process will take time.

If I have missed the mark here on your question, please follow up with a reply, sometimes it takes a few responses to get it right.

Thank you
 Greg

Answer
I'm sorry about not being able to answer the question about how to prepare Wood Chips for "Smoking" that is not my area.


As for making the Apple Trees productive again, I think I can help in that.


First of all, yes you need to remove all of the things that obstruct the Apple trees growth. You mentioned Wild Roses, yes they will have to be removed, along with any other Weeds, Shrubs, etc.

Now you have overgrown Apple Trees that look pretty ragged, what next? You want to open up the CENTER of the Tree by pruning all branches that Cross to another branch. Sucker branches are all the Twigs that are growing upwards, they are small and prevent proper Air Circulation throughout the Tree. Depending on how many Trees you have, this could take quite a while. Don't worry about how the Tree looks after you are done, these are Fruit Trees, not Landscape Trees.


Now you need to consult a Specialist. I have no idea what type of Apple Trees these are, and different types need different spraying Cycles. Perhaps there is a Fruit Tree specialist on Allexperts that could guide you the rest of the way in this.

The Best of Luck in this endeavor

     Greg