Pasture reclamation means grinding the autumn olive, multiflora rose, box elder and honeysuckle that have moved in, along with old fence-row trees, into a chip layer in place with a FECON forestry mulcher on a high-flow tracked skid steer. Hedgerows are ground back to the survey line and field edges pushed back to the woods, so mowing, grazing or planting can reach the full width of the field.
A pasture that stops being grazed or a hay field that misses two cuttings goes to brush faster than most owners expect. Autumn olive and multiflora rose come in from the fence line, box elder and honeysuckle fill the hedgerows until they are forty feet wide, and the woodlot at the back takes a few more feet of field every summer. Within five years the usable acreage is half what the tax bill says.
Reclaiming it is what the mulcher was built for. Brush, saplings and the old fence-row trees are ground into a chip layer where they stand, the roots stay and rot, and the field can be mowed, grazed or planted to the edge the next season. On horse farms in Highland, Metamora, Ray Township and Salem we plan the work paddock by paddock around turnout. On crop ground in Armada, Capac, Saline and Fowlerville we take the hedgerows on frozen ground so the field carries the machine without a mark.
A brush hog handles the grass and light brush on open ground; the mulcher takes the saplings and the rows. Most pasture jobs use both, and both are covered by one project price. The brush hogging page and the invasive growth removal page cover the two halves of the job.
What we clear
- Pasture and paddocks gone to autumn olive, multiflora rose, hawthorn and honeysuckle.
- Hedgerows and fence rows between fields, ground back to the survey line.
- Woodlot edges that have crept into hay or crop ground.
- Old orchard blocks and Christmas-tree plantings that were never cut.
- Fence lines opened for new board or wire, with the old line cleared to the post holes.
- Windbreaks and volunteer trees around barns and outbuildings.
What you get
- A field at full width that can be mowed, grazed or planted to the edge.
- A chip layer that grass grows through by the second summer.
- Paddocks with nothing in them that could end up in a hoof.
- A clean line where the woods are supposed to stop.
How the Job Goes
Walk the fence lines
We walk the field with you, agree on the lines, and note the wet corners that need frozen ground.
Plan around the animals
On a horse farm we take one paddock at a time and keep the machine out of any field with horses in it.
Grind the brush and the rows
The mulcher takes the pasture brush and the hedgerows to a chip layer; the brush hog follows on the open ground.
Keep it
A mowing or spot follow-up plan in the first two summers keeps autumn olive and rose from coming back to seed. We lay it out with you before we leave.
When to do it
Pasture and upland fields in any season. Hedgerows and wet corners on frozen ground or in the dry weeks of late summer. Late winter clearing is ready to seed or graze by May.
How it is priced
By the project: acres, density and how many fence rows. Walk it with us or send photos of the worst corner and the fence line. The pricing guide explains what moves the number.
The Ground This Work Happens On
Questions About This Work
Will autumn olive and multiflora rose come back?
Mulching grinds them to the ground and shreds the root crowns, which sets them back hard. A mowing or spot follow-up in the first two summers keeps the regrowth from reaching seed, and our invasive plants guide covers each species.
Can horses go back on the pasture afterward?
Once the grass is through the chips, yes. Nothing sharp is left in the field, and the chip layer breaks down into the soil over the first season.
How do you take out a hedgerow without wrecking the field?
On frozen ground or dry late summer, when the field carries the machine. The row is ground to a chip strip at the survey line, the roots stay put, and the planter can run to the edge.
Do you brush hog the open part too?
Yes. Most reclamation jobs are a brush hog pass on the open ground and the mulcher on the rows and saplings, priced together. See brush hogging.
Other jobs we do
Related Guides
How Often to Brush Hog a Field: A Michigan Schedule
Once a year keeps a field a field. Twice a year beats the biennial weeds. Every two or three years grows wildlife cover. The brush hogging schedule by what the ground is for, the mowing windows that stop parsnip, thistle and knapweed from seeding, cut heights, and the month-by-month Michigan calendar.
Read the guide →Poison Hemlock, Wild Parsnip and Giant Hogweed in Michigan
Purple-spotted stems and white umbels, yellow umbels in a ditch, a fifteen-foot plant with leaves as wide as a door. How to tell poison hemlock, wild parsnip and giant hogweed from their harmless look-alikes, what the sap does to skin, the mowing window that works, and how we clear a stand from a closed cab.
Read the guide →Brush Hog or Bush Hog? Rotary Cutter vs Flail vs Mulcher
Bush Hog is a brand name, brush hog is what everyone says, rotary cutter is what the machine is. What each cutter is built for, how a skid steer brush hog differs from a pull-behind, and when the job calls for a forestry mulcher instead.
Read the guide →
Pasture Fence Line Clearing in Michigan: Horse & Farm
Pasture and horse fence lines: which shrubs and vines take them, how the work goes around turnout and livestock, old wire and posts, regrowth control, and the season for each line.
Read the guide →
Brush Clearing Services Near Me: What Metro Detroit Homeowners Should Know
Searching for brush clearing near you? Compare methods and timelines, and see why Metro Detroit homeowners choose forestry mulching for fast land clearing.
Read the guide →
The 10 Worst Invasive Plants in Michigan (and How to Actually Get Rid of Them)
Michigan's 10 worst invasive plants, how to tell them apart, and what it takes to clear buckthorn, honeysuckle, autumn olive and phragmites for good.
Read the guide →
What Happens After Forestry Mulching? Timeline, Mulch Breakdown, and Grass Regrowth, Month by Month
What happens after forestry mulching: how fast the mulch breaks down, when grass comes back, and how to manage regrowth on cleared Michigan land.
Read the guide →Ready to Get This Done?
Send the address and a few photos through the quote form, or call. You will get one project price for the whole job.