I am working with a piece of property in East Central Florida that was an old orange grove and was overgrown with Brazilian Pepper trees. I cleared a lot of pepper trees out to plant some new trees (citrus, peach, plum, apple, mango, lychee, pineapple). Now I have piles of brush and I am considering options for their uses. Some of the logs are a foot in diameter or so but most are less than 4-6 inches. I've read about biochar, hugelkultur, and wood chip covering. Anyone out there have any experience with Brazilian Pepper Trees and these methods? The trees have a substance like poison ivy when freshly cut. Is this an issue for reusing them in or on the ground or does aging eliminate any problems with that. The brush piles are well aged.

Also, does anyone have any experience with getting chipped wood from a tree service and then getting Brazilian Pepper Tree in the load? Is there much of an issue with new trees growing from the mulch?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Doug