Redwood Bark

Bark & Chips

While the many benefits and beauty of redwood have long been understood and appreciated for decks and fences, redwood bark and chips for landscaping applications are increasingly popular among home- and business owners interested in creating attractive, drought-tolerant surroundings. With drought conditions common from year-to-year throughout the Western U.S., many home- and business owners are removing water intensive lawns and replacing with beautiful redwood landscaping. Benefits of choosing redwood bark and chips for landscaping projects include:

  • All natural redwood; no added colors, chemicals, or preservatives
  • Excellent color retention for long-lasting beauty
  • Made in the U.S.A.
  • Sourced from well-managed forests certified to the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®)
  • Effective water retention for reduced water loss (evaporation)
  • Stable on hill slopes and flat ground
  • Effective, natural weed barrier

The University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) has an excellent blog article on using mulches, such as redwood bark and chips, to save water in home landscapes. You may read the article, Mulch the soil surface to save water in home landscapes on the UC ANR website. Videos and how to support is also available on the UC ANR YouTube Channel.

Redwood bark and chips are also eligible for the SITES v2 Rating System for Sustainable Land Design and Development credit system, in particular Materials Credit 5.7 Support responsible extraction of raw materials. New wood products that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) are eligible under Option 3 of the credit. All redwood bark and chips from Humboldt Sawmill are certified to FSC standards.

Below you will find helpful information to help you choose between redwood bark or chips for your landscaping project. And when you are ready to buy, redwood bark and chips are available from landscape contractors and suppliers, as well as home improvement retailers.

Redwood Bark

Redwood bark is shredded bark from redwood logs that is removed prior to processing the logs into lumber. The bark is an attractive, deep reddish-brown color. Redwood bark works extremely well on steep hillsides as it will remain in place. Redwood bark also has a very low PH which helps suppress weeds.

Redwood Chips

Redwood chips are made from trim ends and scraps from lumber processing. Because logs are round and lumber is square, scraps are unavoidable. Redwood chips for landscaping is an excellent usage of this downfall and helps ensure that the entire redwood tree is used. Redwood chips appear as small rectangular pieces varying in color from red to yellow.