Ball State University's Landscape Services plans to finish removing fallen trees and debris from the campus by today, but the debris will not go to waste.
The fallen trees will eventually return to campus in the form of compost for landscaping, Michael Planton, superintendent of grounds for Facilities Planning and Management, said.
The debris was caused by the Jan. 5 ice storm that left tens of thousands without power and cost the university a conservative estimate of at least $300,000 in clean-up costs.
Kevin Kenyon, associate vice president for Facilities Planning and Management, said he is glad the campus is being slowly restored.
"The weather has not helped us, but we're making progress. It's a huge amount of work," he said. "We want to get the campus back to normal as quickly as possible."
Planton said every piece of debris collected on campus, regardless of its shape, will end up at the Ball State owned Heath Farm. The farm is located north of campus and is rented out to a local farmer who grows soybeans and corn.
As part of a grinding process, some of Ball State's wood waste is run through chippers on campus. Other wood waste is processed in a tub grinder, the size of a semi-trailer, located at the Heath Farm, Planton said.
After the debris is processed, it goes to a compost pile, which takes about one year to decompose. On an average year, about 3,000 cubic yards of compost is produced, Planton said. Because of the amount of debris on campus, the amount of compost is going to at least double this year.
"It will sit there until we need to use it, but if we run out of space, it can be used to benefit Ball State's farm field. It won't go to waste," Planton said. "Compost is good whether you're growing flour or corn, and its benefit will be accrued."
While the ground debris is close to being removed from campus, corrective pruning will take several months, Planton said. Corrective pruning means cutting the damage out of standing trees so they will be able to heal themselves, he said.
Tree planting will also start this spring, Planton said. Of the 8,000 trees on campus before the ice storm hit, 200-250 trees will need to be replanted, he said.
"All trees taken down won't be immediately replanted this spring -- there are too many," Planton said. "More will be planted in the fall and next spring."
Planton said he is pleased with Landscape Services' progress and is looking forward to seeing the campus return to normal.
"It feels good it's happening," he said. "We're well-prepared, and our plan is being executed in the most efficient way we can. We look forward to returning the campus to the beauty it was before."
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