Donate for family farm woodchipper

The family farm needed a woodchipper to help them become more sustainable. In the past, the brush generated from tree pruning would be burned as the only viable option for waste removal. If the farm could instead turn tree trimmings into mulch, this would put the carbon back into the soil and provide olive/fruit trees and grape vines with protection against moisture loss.

Other benefits of mulching include:

• Increase soil moisture content by modifying soil structure

• Increase porosity of soil

• Decrease salt build-up in the plant root zone

• Add organic matter to soils, thereby increasing their nutrient content

• Decrease soilborne diseases

• Increase the growth of trees and other woody perennials planted under them (https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8672.pdf)

While I was in Bethlehem in May 2025, we were able to procure a great machine! Now, tree branches can be turned into mulch and applied to the soil surface under trees and vines. If you are able, we would be grateful for help to support the cost of the Skarper C120 woodchipper with a Briggs and Stratton Vanguard 23 HP engine and two spare blades. Total cost was $9,420.