Enhancing Our Energy Chip Production with a Pezzolato Wood Chipper

IIn 2024, we took a significant step forward in our energy chip production project in Thunder Bay by acquiring a Pezzolato wood chipper. This addition helps us address two key challenges in the regional wood chip market.

First, most small chippers in the area do not regulate chip size, requiring an additional screening step at our Thunder Bay facility to achieve P45 or P31-grade wood chips. On the other hand, large chippers capable of producing uniform chips operate at a production rate and cost that exceed the needs of the heating chip market.

Pezzolato chippers from Italy offer a game-changing solution. Their unique post-chipping greening process ensures consistent chip size, making them ideal for P45 and P31 chip production—something that standard forestry equipment in Canada does not typically support.

With a total project cost of approximately $500,000, this investment not only allows Rutter Urban Forestry to produce affordable P31 chips but also expands our capabilities. The new machine enhances our ability to support forest fire mitigation, mill site chipping, biomass production, and more—broadening the range of services we offer.