Hello, all -- This is my first foray into the Trees Forum. I posted a question on soil/compost forum today and think maybe you all might have an answer.

Today I trimmed all the many, many sprouts on my ancient gum ball tree. I cut them up and they filled a very large container. I planned to put them in an informal compost pile along with grass clippings, leaves, trimmings, etc. etc.

However, they smelled like turpentine and my hands smelled like that after I had handled them. (First time I had not worn work gloves). Since they are going to break down with the other stuff in the out-of-the-way pile, would there be any properties in these leaves that would cause me to be sorry I had added them??

This is a 45-year old tree that drops gum balls for me to pick up every year and sprouts that have to be cut off all summer. I probably should cut the thing down, but it does provide a screen and shade. I don't know what my parents were thinking to plant it in the first place.

Can the composteld-down leaves/trimmings be detremental to my (eventual) black harvest of broken-down stuff next spring?

Thanks for your help.

Sunny