As part of Habit Action's refurbishment project for Atlas Copco, we commissioned Browns Landscape Solutions to remove some original planting in the courtyard space and one of the Silver Birch trees.
The waste from the Silver Birch tree removal (including all of the logs) and the Silver Birch reductions that were carried out were all supplied to ZSL Whipsnade Zoo. They employ a small team whose job is to go and source what they call “browse” for the animals. This material is mainly for the Elephants & Rhinos (As you can imagine, they eat a lot!). They take the cuttings whole and feed that material to the animals as a supplement to their zoo diet (So whole tree branches, whole logs – as big as we can make them). The material provides a source of interest for the animals as it varies their diet and also makes them work harder for their food – like in the wild. The large logs they particularly enjoy as they spend time tusking off the bark which they eat and then normally play around with the remaining heartwood.
Lots of tree surgery companies will simply chip and remove waste, as it can be too time-consuming loading a van up by hand vs chipping the material. However, Browns Landscaping Solutions feel there is a value to helping the Zoo with material that would otherwise not be readily available to the animals. It also means they don’t need to use their chipper as much on sites, therefore reducing noise and air pollution on jobs. With the help of the Zoo and Brown’s comprehensive range of battery-powered chainsaws and battery hedge cutters, some larger jobs can be completed 100% without using a petrol or diesel-powered machine, excluding their vans for travelling to and from site.