Forestry Mulching
Forestry mulching turns brush, saplings and small trees into a layer of wood chip mulch on site. We cover Jackson, Union and Williamson counties from our base in Cobden.
Learn More
Land clearing in Carrier Mills often means taking back old mine ground or a field edge gone to brush. Carrier Mills is a village in Saline County, 7 miles southwest of Harrisburg. The 2020 census counted 1,672 people in the village. It was founded as a mill town and then became a coal mining community. Over one hundred coal mines operated around Carrier Mills until the late 1990s. On idle ground here, our machine grinds bush honeysuckle, autumn olive, multiflora rose and wild vines most often. Illinois Extension notes autumn olive was once planted widely across the United States for mining reclamation.
We grind that growth down with a tracked skid steer and a forestry mulching head. The head turns standing brush, vines, saplings and small trees into wood chips where they grow. It cuts stumps down to grade level and leaves the chips on the ground as mulch. Ground is usually usable the same day. We are based in Cobden, to the west in Shawnee Hills country. Around Carrier Mills, that means forestry mulching for timber and mine ground, and brush clearing for lots and field edges. We are fully insured, and small jobs are welcome. Call or text (618) 697-5190 for a free estimate anywhere in ZIP code 62917.
Tell us about your land. We will get right back to you.
The village is named for George Washington Carrier's saw and grist mills. It was one of the early Cairo and Vincennes Railroad boomtowns. Back then, cypress grew no farther north than Carrier's Mills, so lumber milling paid well. Until the 20th century, the South Fork of the Saline River wound past swamps and shallow cypress lakes. The flat ground south of town is swampy land drained by the South Fork. Free Black settlers founded Lakeview, first called Pond Settlement, a mile south of town soon after the War of 1812. Two ridges of the Shawnee Hills can be seen from town.
Coal came next, and the hillside under the village is heavily undermined. The Will Scarlet Mine closed in 1987, and Sahara's mines closed in 1993. The old Sahara Coal Company preparation plant, now abandoned, is just northwest of the village. The Scarlet Lake subdivision is 52 lots inside the old Will Scarlet strip pit area. In 1999, Sahara Coal gave one of its old strip mines to the state, and it became Sahara Woods. The site is spoil ridges mixed with timber, grassland, small ponds and a large lake. Timber and brush cover about 1,500 acres of it.
A lot near US 45 and acreage out toward Stonefort start the same way, with a look at your ground. We agree on what stays standing, and the mulching head grinds the rest into chips where it grows. Stumps end up level with the ground, but the roots stay in the soil. Autumn olive spreads by root suckers, and birds that eat its fruit spread it too. Treating stumps or regrowth is a separate step, done by you or a licensed applicator. The tracks spread the machine's weight, which helps on soft ground in the South Fork bottoms.
The old rail bed through the village is now the Tunnel Hill State Trail. IDNR says the trail runs 45 miles from Harrisburg to Karnak. On private ground, we cut access trails and shooting lanes and clear ground for a future food plot. On land you plan to sell, clearing the property line lets a buyer reach and see the boundary. Where autumn olive and bush honeysuckle crowd old mine ground, honeysuckle removal grinds the shrub layer down to grade.
Communities & areas we serve around Carrier Mills: Stonefort, Crab Orchard, Creal Springs, New Burnside, Harrisburg, South Fork Saline River bottoms, US 45 corridor.
Carrier Mills ZIP codes served: 62917.
Free, no-obligation estimates throughout Saline County and beyond.
(618) 697-5190 Forestry mulching turns brush, saplings and small trees into a layer of wood chip mulch on site. We cover Jackson, Union and Williamson counties from our base in Cobden.
Learn More
Brush clearing for overgrown fields, fence lines, old lots and invasive thickets across Southern Illinois. Our tracked skid steer grinds the brush into mulch on the spot, so the ground is usable the same day.
Learn More
We cut new ATV and UTV trails through wooded ground, and reopen old paths that grew shut. The mulcher leaves a chip surface you can walk or drive the same day.
Learn More
We clear shooting lanes and quiet access trails on hunting property across Southern Illinois. Selective mulching opens the ground you want open and leaves the cover that holds deer.
Learn More
We mulch bush honeysuckle, autumn olive and multiflora rose down to grade level. The chips stay on the ground and the woods open back up.
Learn More
We clear brush, vines, saplings and small cedars off fence lines and hedgerows. The growth is mulched where it stands, so the fence is easy to see and work on.
Learn MoreReal reviews from our Google Business Profile.
Blackburn Land Service did an excellent job of clearing a messy area of vines, overgrowth, and hanging branches on our property. Calls were retuned promptly, work was done thoughtfully, efficiently, and in a timely manner, as promised. The area was cleaned up and looked great when completed. Gery was a pleasure to work with from start to finish. I would not hesitate to recommend him to anyone needing a project done right the first time and on time!
Gery did an awesome job for us! He was so easy to work with from the initial call to the final handshake of thanks! We had an area behind our pond and some trails in the woods cleared, so now we can take our grandchildren on great adventures on the side by side! Thanks again Gery!
Gery is truly knowledgeable and professional with attention to detail. May your projects be large or small he is very thorough from start to finish. He goes above and beyond to make sure his client is totally satisfied with his services. I would highly recommend Gery for any of your land clearing projects.
Gery from Blackburn Land Service is excellent! Great guy and a pleasure to do business with. Highly recommended if you need work done!
Gery’s work is always impeccable. I hope to have another job for him soon.
Gery always works to complete a job with customer satisfaction being the most important aspect of any job !!
A few of the questions we hear most around Carrier Mills. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
Overgrown field, a fence line you cannot find, a trail that grew shut, or hunting ground that needs lanes? Call or text, or send the form. We will come look at the ground and give you a free estimate.
Tell us about your land. We will get right back to you.