This is forestry mulching in Houlton, WI. A landowner has a piece of rolling hill country that buckthorn and honeysuckle have been closing in on for years, and they want it back. Here is what the land looks like today and how we plan to clear it. We offer forestry mulching in St. Croix County and the surrounding area.
What we are looking at
The brush is dense from the ground up, and most of it is buckthorn and honeysuckle. Both are invasive shrubs that crowd out everything else. Thin stems, saplings and young birch grow so close together that you cannot walk through it or see through it. In the photo above, the mowed grass at the bottom shows where the yard ends and the growth begins. That edge is usually where it starts, and every season it moves a little farther in.
We photographed it in late fall with the leaves down. That is a good time to judge a property, because you can see how thick the stems really are and where the ground lies.
Why rolling ground is worth reclaiming
Hills are what make land like this worth having: views, open slopes, places for a trail or a building site. Brush hides all of it. Once it is cleared, the contours show again and the land becomes usable.
Slopes also change how we work. A compact track loader handles hills well, but the steepness and any wet spots decide where we go and how. We walk the land with the owner first and plan around them.
How we plan to clear it
- Walk it together. The owner shows us what to keep. Good trees stay, and we work around them.
- Mulch in place. The drum mulcher takes down the brush and small trees and leaves the chips on the ground. On slopes, that cover helps protect the soil.
- No burn piles, no hauling. Nothing to burn and no loads of slash to haul out.
- Plan for regrowth. Buckthorn and honeysuckle both sprout back from cut stems. Brush hogging the new growth in the following seasons keeps the land open. Some owners also have the stumps treated by a licensed applicator. See our guide on how to get rid of buckthorn.
When to do a job like this
Frozen ground in winter is easy on the soil and carries the machine well, and with the leaves down it is easier to see the land. If the property has oaks, state guidance generally advises against cutting or wounding them from about mid April through July because of oak wilt, so we schedule around that. More on timing in our guide to the best time of year to clear land.
What the owner can do with it next
That depends on the owner. Some people want a trail system, a view from the house, or open ground for pasture or a food plot. Others want to build. Clearing is the first step for all of them.
Check back for the after photos
This post shows the property before the work. When the job is done we will add photos of the cleared land here.
Forestry mulching in Houlton, WI and St. Croix County
If you have land like this, we can help. We do forestry mulching in St. Croix County, including Houlton, Hudson and the farms and hills around them. See our invasive species removal and St. Croix County pages. Send us a few photos and we will set up a free walkthrough and written quote.