Clearing small trees and underbrush can improve the growth of your mature trees by 50% or
more. Understory growth of trees, shrubs, and other low growing foliage take nutrients away from
mature trees making them fight for resources. Soil nutrients, water, and sunlight are vital building locks
to trees, and they compete for the available sources that supply life. Clearing overgrown understory
plants is a good way to ensure the health and longevity of your mature trees for years to come.

When clearing the understory and reducing competition for nutrients, allow the removed
vegetation to be a natural mulch. The shredded and chipped vegetation becomes a blanket of nutrients.
This insulates the tree’s roots and slowly breaks down to feed the tree and enrich the soil. With winter
on its way this is a nice blanket for the tree to keep it safe through harsh freezing temperatures. The
nutrients are absorbed as the tree needs them, unlike a chemical fertilizer (which you do not want to
use in fall or winter). Natural mulch only adds nutrients and health to the soil without adding chemicals
or unnatural additives.

Healthy trees resist disease and pest with their natural defense system. Think of your own
health and how it is affected by the foods you consume. Plants are also affected by the nutrients
available to consume. With more available nutrients plants are able to maintain a healthy self-defense
system. When trees compete for nutrients, they can become spindly or scraggly and can become
targets for pests and diseases. Cleaning the understory of excess vegetation will make more nutrients
available for the trees you want to enjoy.
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A healthy tree is an attractive tree. Clearing unwanted overgrowth and reducing competition
for nutrients in the soil allows the trees to grow strong while resisting disease. Creating natural
insulation and creating a healthy soil is the best maintenance for a healthy and natural habitat. A
disease-free wooded area will continue to grow and maintain its beauty for years to come.

Cleaning out brush, tangles of small trees and vines that are prolific in wooded areas improves the walkability of your land and trails for walking and ATVs horse riding or a clear area for hiking with the family.  The views can create a backyard sanctuary, like living in your own private park. We have even had people want to purchase farmland or wooded lots and reclaim the land for building your dream home.

There are multiple ways to clear an overgrown area, bush hogging, land clearing, and forestry mulching are the most common. What is the best solution? Addressing the benefits and differences of each for cleaning your land and understanding which is the best option among a confusing set of terms that are often used interchangeably. 

Bush hogging is the use of a bush hog, a device that is pulled behind a tractor to cut vegetation.  The bush hog has one or more blades that spin to make cuts and tears to brush and grass.  This can be an option for an area without much overgrowth, such as tall grasses and small shrubbery.  Because it is dragged over the land, it is more for low-growing vegetation.  It is a limited use attachment compared to forestry mulching, which will be discussed further in this article. Bush hogging is the surface clearing of small overgrowth, unlike land clearing.

Land clearing is the elimination of all trees, shrubs, and vegetation on a plot of land.  This term is often associated with excavation companies.  Very large equipment is utilized to take down all or part of a forest, it is not just for taking down overgrowth.  Bulldozers and other large excavation equipment will be very disruptive to the property, which is why it is used for clearing entire areas, and not as a land management tool for cleaning or beautifying an area.  Using land clearing would be useful if you are not maintaining the land but would like to build on a site and need a blank slate. For those that are interested in land management and maintenance, forestry mulching is a preferred option.

Forestry mulching is used for clearing brush and trees on your large property.  Forestry mulching is more cost-effective and less disruptive than land clearing.  Unlike bush hogging, forestry mulching can deal with larger areas and even trees.  This process is less disruptive than land clearing and more versatile. Forestry mulching uses versatile equipment that is specialized to perform selective cutting and clearing.  A skid steer maneuvers the mulching attachment in a controlled and organized manner to select cut desired areas.  Using a disk or grinding attachment the skid steer is able to direct the mulcher in focused areas without tearing up the ground and leaving trees that you don’t want to be removed.  

Not just a clever name, forestry mulching takes trees and brush and turns them into mulch.  This eliminates the expense of transporting and disposing of debris or burning to remove the vegetative waste.  Mulching the vegetation has added benefits of giving back to the land.  The removal of overgrowth replaced with mulch prevents erosion while putting nutrients back into the soil as it decomposes.  Not only will your land have an improved visual appeal, but it will also be healthier and will continue to have the benefits of added nutrients for years to come as the mulch decomposes and improves the soil quality.

Forestry mulching is the best option for tight spaces, selective cutting and land management where an improved look and health of the land is the goal.  Overgrowth, forest areas, path making, and fence or pond clean up are perfect examples of when to use a forestry mulching service.  In the Northern Indiana and southern Michigan area there are plenty of tree servicing companies, but few who provide land management.  This is because the equipment is pricey and skilled operators are needed to complete the task safely and properly.