approximately how much compost does a foot of wood chips compost down to?

Question

I'm heavily composting my garden with arborist wood chips, and was wondering how much compost I get from a square foot of wood chips. I'm using Stropharia Rugosoannulata to break down the wood chips.

Answer 1

I would say the amount of "compost" you will get is precisely zero.

Saprophytes such as Stropharia Rugosoannulata feed by breaking dead organic matter down into simple chemical compounds such as its constituent amino acids and sugars (for example the cellulose in the wood chips is converted into glucose). Those products are not "compost" by any reasonable definition of the word, and they are mostly soluble in water so they won't leave any permanent residue.

When it runs out of wood chips to feed on, the Stropharia will cannibalize itself as it dies of starvation.