Any recommendations for how to go about whole tree chipping / equipment to use (rental options needed) and/or what services to look for when hiring? My understanding had been that I could chip/shred downed trees, but now that I have downed trees, I am having a hard time finding actual options for rental equipment or for-hire work.
Trees. How big?
Usually takes a tub grinder fed by an excavator. No such thing as a rental. Land clearing contractor can provide this service.
Mostly < 10-12/14" -- only stuff we were comfortable taking out ourselves with a 7500# mini-ex.
A tub grinder will eat those, stumps and all. Last time I had it done it was 400 an hour 16 hour minimum. Varies from contractor to contractor. Just get some quotes. The rig that was here could produce 800-1000 yds of chips per hour. (That sounds high. Could be a memory issue. It was ten years ago. It did a lot of work in a short time. )
Thinking back, it was an amazing thing. They ground up 20 acres of too-big nursery stock including a big area of 30ft arbor vitae. It took 12 hours and then they did 6 hours grinding of blow down I had left from a hurricane. One operator, 45 ton ex, tub grinder run by remote by the excavator op. Kind of amazing really.
Not sure if many loggers in your area chip or not but if the wood isn't to dirty a 20in disk or drum chipper would do the trick you might be able to hire them to come chip it up for you. I doubt if you could rent a chipper big enough to do the job most rental companies only rent small hand feed chippers.
Probably be an appropriate rental machine somewhere. Cost likely to be high in diesel etc.
e.g https://www.vermeermidatlantic.com/rental-equipment (https://www.vermeermidatlantic.com/rental-equipment)
Find a local contractor that runs 300Hp class or larger mulchers. The terrain will dictate tracks or tires and carrier or excavator based. I don't care if it's laying or standing, if I can reach it with a cutter head, I can grind it up. The only drawback is that I don't put chips in uniform sizes and neat piles. I can usually spread the chips about a bit and make it look pretty.
I grind stump balls, stems, tops, bits and pieces. It just takes a lot of power to muscle through trees bigger than 4" diameter. Speed is also relative to available power. If the tub grinders get $400/hr with a 16 hr min, my rates would be competitive and half the minimum.
Pictures from a job where I had to completely clear whatever the loggers left behind. Many of those stumps exceeded 30" at the cut.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/56484/loggers_leftovers_inside_levee_bs.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1565739923)
I was running my Barko 937 on this part of the job. This is after I first started cleaning up the mess.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/56484/inside_levee_during_BS.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1565739764)
Finished product after I processed everything. Ready to throw down grass seed and be maintained with a bush hog.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/56484/inside_levee_after_BS.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1565739661)
That looks good. Do that on my land and there would be rocks sticking up all over the place.