Mulch for tree spaded cedar trees

Question

I live out in the country and my local rural power company trimmed off cedar trees that would become a hazard. They cut these trees down and used a wood chipper to put them in a long pile on my land, roughly 5 ft tall and 6 ft wide. I thought this was nice and I would use them for gardening. During the first couple weeks, I noticed the pile steaming, getting hot like a compost pile. It has been about 1.5 months and with it being spring, I borrowed my cousin’s tree spade and transplanted some cedar trees for a windbreak. Do you think it’s ok to use this cedar chips? Could they cause any harm to my transplanted trees?

Answer 1

The recommendation is to let fresh chipped mulch sit for 1 year before using as top mulch.

Green chips can draw nitrogen from the soil and can also add acid to the soil.