It has always been my understanding (per the book Teaming with Microbes) that the real issue is not "robbing" your plants of nitrogen, but that the soil becomes a fungal dominated soil with a higher acidity when copious amounts of lignin have been added as bacteria, for the most part, are unable to break down wood. Once the soil becomes too acidic, nitrogen fixing bacteria cannot live. This is good for late succession plants such as woody shrubs and trees, as they thrive in more acidic soils. For annual beds, however, bacterial dominated soils are preferable.
I am by no means a scientist and I typically do not like to rely on anecdotal evidence. However, I rotate between wood chips, straw, and chop and drop in my annual bed, depending on what is available. I definitely notice a difference in the seasons following the use of wood chips in the size and productivity of my plants. For my perennial beds, this matters much less, with the exception of my asparagus. It seems to prefer straw mulch exclusively!
**edited to add- I do not find any difference after application of wood chips if I add blood meal. In addition, I have only been doing this about... 15ish years? So, perhaps I have used wood chips as mulch for 5-10 seasons over the years? It certainly hasn't been a lifetime of experience, but I do feel as if it's enough to notice a difference.
Cheers!
