Why You Should Invest in Quality Playground Mulch

Playgrounds are a great addition to any park, school, daycare, or multifamily housing development in North Carolina, but they come with risks and maintenance concerns. Playground chips or mulch addresses both of these concerns by providing a safe surface in case children fall of the equipment or slip, while also reducing weed growth and water issues. More than 50,000 playgrounds across the United States and Canada have wood playground chips and even more are transitioning away from alternatives like rubber surfaces. Here’s why playground mulching is a crucial investment for your property and what you should know.

How Playground Mulch Improve Safety

Falling or tripping from playground equipment is the leading cause of playground injuries, accounting for nearly 80% of injuries on playgrounds (National Safety Council). There’s no way to stop children from tripping while they play but the right ground surface can mitigate the risk by absorbing the shock of the fall. Wood chips are a common form of ground cover for playgrounds because they offer excellent shock absorbency to reduce or prevent fall-related injuries.

Easy Playground Maintenance

Wood chips prevent mud around the playground and help with water drainage to promote a safe, slip-resistant surface. While wood chips don’t last as long as rubber mulch, wood is safer than rubber which can leach chemicals and isn’t proven to be safe for children. While you should expect an initial fill of 12 inches compacted wood chips for a playground, there isn’t much to maintaining the mulch aside from periodically adding more. Adding new mulch to the existing layer helps replace displaced and decomposed mulch to build the mulch back to a safe level to prevent injuries.

When new mulch is added, it should be raked and tilled into the existing mulch to avoid creating a hard surface on top. The mulch can also be raked occasionally to avoid low areas, prevent compaction, and check the depth.

We recommend marking the proper height of the mulch on the posts of your playground equipment so you can easily see when the mulch height is too low and needs to be replaced.

Choosing the Right Playground Chips

The Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends double shredded bark or wood chips layered between 6 and 12 inches to prevent serious injuries. An initial fill of 12″ compacted is recommended. When choosing the right wood chips for your playground, look for chips designated as engineered wood fiber (EWF). EWF is different than landscape chips and is designed specifically for playgrounds. This type of ground cover is made from hardwood with leaf and twig materials removed. It’s ground to produce a fibrous consistency until all individual chips are no larger than 2 inches. GetMulch.com strives to only work with the best mulch installers in North Carolina so be sure to consult with your mulch installation company to determine which type of playground mulch is right for your playground.