Go to any supermarket or business estate and the chances are that you will not be too far away from mulch and wood chip. Town centres with ornamental gardens, or trees and pathways in urban areas; all have mulch and wood chip surrounding them. But why is this combination so popular?

Since before the humble gardener got involved, nature has been providing itself with mulch and wood bark chip as a protective, nutritional layer around plants and trees. The fallen leaves, dead plants and twigs would slowly build up and help to keep the next generation of flora the best chance possible.

Today, however, we use wood chip and mulch for a variety of uses. To make manmade pathways in natural areas fit with the surrounding aesthetics, to provide soft, natural looking flooring in playgrounds and to protect trees and plants from the harsh environments of urban living.

Applying mulch and wood bark layers helps to eliminate soil erosion. Where raindrops would normally splash or wash away top layers of soil, wood chips absorb the water and feed it down to the mulch layer beneath, which returns it to the plant.

Wood chips are low maintenance, compared to say grass areas, and only really need replacing once every 2 to 3 years with minimal maintenance in between.

Commercial bark mulches, like the ones mentioned above are very popular in large landscaping projects as they are resistant to compaction, tend not to blow away in winds (which is great for use in large, flat areas like car parks) and are generally seen as attractive by most, with their natural look and colour making them easy to fit into any project.

TMA Bark stock two types of commercial grade barks;

• Contract landscape: 35-60mm bark and recycled product mix, with up to 50% white wood content
• Medium Ornamental: 0-35mm bark and recycled product mix, with up to 20% white wood

Both products are ideal for landscaping projects in both housing and commercial developments, and are ideal for lower budget projects due to their mix.

Our team are on hand to discuss your specific project requirements and are sure that we have a product that will suit your needs, both practically and aesthetically, so contact us today on 01362 638441 or via our website.

Play areas; for the children, it’s a place of fun and adventure where anything is possible.

For the parents, there are the possibilities of scraped knees and bumped heads to contend with and safety will always be at the forefront of their minds.

Whether the play area in question is a public park run by the Council, a school playground or even in the family area of the local pub/restaurant, minimising risk and the safety of the children that will be using it will come first and the floor surface that is used will be chosen with care.

There are a number of things that need to be considered, including;

• Safety
• Durability
• Aesthetics
• Price

With safety being the most important factor in the decision making process, hard surfaces like concrete or packed earth are no longer options, and with 70% of playground accidents resulting from falling, it is vital that the surface is an impact absorbent material, such as pine nuggets or softwood chip.

Critical height is the ‘maximum fall height from which a life-threatening head injury would not be expected to occur’ and will need to be considered when applying a floor surface to the play area.

When using wood chips or wood mulch, to protect from a 1.6m drop, you would need an uncompressed depth layer of 100mm to absorb the energy of the fall.

It is also important that the play area looks good and fits in with the surrounding areas aesthetics. Wood chip or bark add a more natural, earthly feel to a play area as well as being safe and durable against weather conditions, and they do not become slippery underfoot unlike some rubber alternatives.

TMA Bark’s Play Range bark comes in various materials and price scales, our products being sourced from sustainable sources with Certificates of Test available to view on our website, so you can buy with confidence.

We range from high quality pine nuggets, right through to the more economical range of softwood and hardwood chips, meaning no matter what your project budget is, we have a playground surface solution for you.

Contact us today to discuss the best wood chip solution for your project on 01362 638441