Brush Mulching in Cincinnati, OH
Honeysuckle had a good run.
Thick underbrush, briar patches and saplings ground into mulch where they stand. We'd do this every day if you let us.
Brush mulching is how we turn a thicket you can't see through into woods you can actually use. The Fecon head on our Kubota track loader grinds bush honeysuckle, multiflora rose, briars, grapevine and saplings to the ground, and leaves the good trees standing with clear ground underneath.
Across Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati, the understory in most wood lots tells the same story: Amur bush honeysuckle so thick it shades out everything else. As the owner says, "my son wants to do the brush clearing every single day." This is the work he means.
What we mean by heavy brush
Heavy brush is the stuff that stops you at the tree line. Head-high honeysuckle, rose canes that grab your sleeves, briars to your knees, and a crop of saplings fighting for whatever light gets through. Most of it is invasive and none of it is doing your property any favors.
It's also where ticks wait, where deer stop wanting to walk, and where a fallen limb hides until you step on it. Mulching it out opens the ground back up to light, air and your own two feet.
You take a wood, you can't even walk in. And then it's just all nice and clear.
Brushcutrs owner
Honeysuckle removal that keeps the trees you want
Bush honeysuckle leafs out early in spring and hangs on to its leaves late into fall, which is how it shades out the native plants under it. We mulch it right down, stems and all, along with the multiflora rose and autumn olive that usually grow alongside it.
Mulching is selective. Tell us which oaks, walnuts or maples you want saved and we work around them. You end up with an open wood and a clean floor, not a bare lot.
Honeysuckle will try to resprout from the root. Mowing or treating the new shoots for a season or two after the job keeps it from taking over again, and we'll show you what to watch for.
Mulching brush versus cutting and piling
The old way is a chainsaw, a lot of dragging and a brush pile that sits for a year or gets burned. Mulching brush does the cutting, the chipping and the spreading in one pass, so there's no pile and nothing to haul.
It's easier on the ground too. The roots stay in, the mulch covers the soil, and on Ohio Valley clay that means less mud and less washing on slopes once we're gone.
- No brush pile left to rot or burn
- No ruts from dragging logs out
- Mulch left on site to feed the soil
- Good trees left standing, with room to grow
How a brush mulching day goes
We walk the property with you first. You flag the trees that stay and show us where the edges are, and we give you a free estimate priced by the job.
We bring the track loader in and work the brush from the outside in, grinding it down and leaving the mulch where it falls. Sapling stumps get ground low with the mulcher head as we go. If there's a steep bank or a ditch the loader shouldn't cross, the excavator mulcher reaches it from the top.
Where we mulch brush
Northern Kentucky gets most of our brush work. Wooded back lots around Florence, KY and Union, KY, hillside properties near Burlington, KY and older farms out across Boone County are full of honeysuckle. Our Northern Kentucky page covers the area.
On the Ohio side we mulch across Cincinnati, OH, close to our North Bend base. Over the Indiana line, the Dearborn County hills around Lawrenceburg, IN and Aurora, IN are a short run.
Brush is often step one of a bigger job. See residential land clearing if you're opening up more than the understory, or our main forestry mulching page for how it all fits together.
Goes well with
- Forestry mulching for overgrown land: Old pasture and fields gone to cedar, brush and saplings, ground down and given back to horses, hay or hunting.
- Brush clearing: Trails, fence lines, shooting lanes, creek access and driveway paths cut through brushy, wooded ground.
- All forestry mulching services
What people call us for
Common brush mulching projects
Back-lot honeysuckle
Clearing the honeysuckle wall behind a house so the yard runs back into open woods.
Wood lot understory
Mulching out brush and saplings under mature trees for a clean, walkable wood.
Briar and rose patches
Grinding out the thorny tangles that took over a field corner or a ditch line.
Sapling thickets
Knocking down dense young growth before it turns into trees you'd have to fell.
Brush around outbuildings
Pulling brush back from barns, sheds and fences so you can get to them again.
Questions
Brush mulching questions
How do you get rid of bush honeysuckle for good?
Mulching takes out the top growth and grinds the stems to the ground, which is most of the battle. The roots will push up new shoots, so plan on mowing or treating the resprouts for a season or two. After that, native plants and grass get the light back and start holding their own.
Can you mulch brush without taking out my trees?
Yes. That's one of the best things about a mulcher: it's selective. We walk the property with you, you point out the trees to keep, and we work around them.
Is underbrush clearing bad for wildlife?
Clearing invasive underbrush usually helps. Honeysuckle shades out the native plants that deer and birds feed on, and opening the understory lets them come back. If you hunt the property, we can leave strips of cover where you want them.
Can you mulch poison ivy?
Yes, the mulcher grinds poison ivy vines along with everything else. The oil that causes the rash stays active in the dead plant material for a while, so don't handle the fresh mulch bare-handed and never burn it. Wear gloves and long sleeves when you walk newly mulched ground.
How long does heavy brush clearing take?
It depends on how thick it is, the slope and how much you want cleared. A back-lot honeysuckle job can fit in a half day, while a few acres of thicket takes longer. We'll give you a realistic idea on the walk-through, and the price is for the job either way.
Where we do brush mulching
Northern Kentucky first, then Greater Cincinnati, Southeast Indiana and out to Hamilton, Lexington and Georgetown, KY.
Ready to get that ground cleared?
Call or text us, or send the form. We'll walk the ground with you and give you one price for the job.
