An apparatus for separating dunnage from a pallet including a base plate for placement on a floor, a shearing surface positioned at a predetermined distance above the base plate, and means for securing the shearing surface to the base plate. The user places alphanumeric characters adjacent to each step of the staircase object, the font, case, style, color and punctuation indicating the format of the heading of each step. The described compounds primarily comprise organic by-products of timber processing operations. The plant is well suited for providing attractive ornamentation in the landscape.