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 MoreHunting property improvement is the work that makes a tract easier to hunt. We do it across Southern Illinois with a tracked skid steer and a forestry mulching head. The head grinds standing brush and saplings into wood chip mulch. Small trees go the same way, and stumps come down to grade. The mulch stays on site and breaks down where it falls. We open shooting lanes from your stand or blind. We cut quiet access trails in and out. We clear field edges and knock back the thickets that took over good ground. The oaks and hickories that hold deer stay standing.
Southern Illinois is serious deer country. The Shawnee National Forest region holds river bottom timber and steep hill ground. Much of it grows thick, and thick ground is hard to hunt. Autumn olive and multiflora rose take the edges. Bush honeysuckle fills the understory behind them. Left alone, that mess swallows the edge you used to hunt. Our work is selective. We pick what gets ground and what stays, then run the head around the keepers. Blackburn Land Service is locally owned and fully insured, and estimates are free. Small jobs are welcome, down to a single lane. Call (618) 697-5190.
Tell us about your land. We will get right back to you.
A clip from one of our own hunting property jobs on Southern Illinois ground. Press play to watch.
A shooting lane works when it matches your stand and the wind you hunt. We start at the stand or blind and cut out from there. The mulching head takes brush and saplings down to a flat chip surface. The limb saw cuts low limbs clean so the lane stays open overhead. You get a clear sight line without a raw dirt scar down the middle.
Lane width and length are your call. Some hunters want a narrow slot to one corner. Others want a wider lane that covers a whole draw. A lane cut too wide is hard to take back, so we start where you point. In tight spots the tree shear snips a single sapling between keeper trees. That lets us take one stem without bumping the trees you want left alone. Tell us where you sit and we set the lanes from there.
An access trail gets you to the stand without crashing through brush. We mulch a path wide enough to walk or to run a side by side. Width is your call. Some want a foot path and some want room for equipment. The chip surface underfoot is quiet, and it stays quiet. We can route a trail along cover so you slip in downwind. Trails built mainly for riding or walking fall under trail cutting.
Clearing ground for a food plot is part of the job. We grind the brush and small trees off the spot and take stumps down to grade. What is left is a clean surface ready for your tillage work. We do not till or plant, and we do not shape dirt. The seed work stays on your side. Pick the spot you want opened and we clear it to the lines you mark.
The cover is the reason a tract holds deer, so we work around it. We leave oaks and hickories standing, along with the bedding cover you point out. The head goes after autumn olive and multiflora rose along the edges. Bush honeysuckle in the understory gets the same treatment. Deer use edges and cover, and clean lanes give you a clear look. You end up with more edge and more sight lines, and the timber stays.
We set the plan before the machine moves. You show us the stands and the spots to leave alone. Then we cut to that plan. There are no burn piles and no open burning, so nothing sits smoldering on your ground. Soil disturbance stays low because the machine runs on tracks and the material stays where it falls. The grapple can stack material when you want it piled somewhere. Bigger field and pasture reclamation falls under brush clearing.
Free, no-obligation estimates across Jackson, Union & Williamson counties.
(618) 697-5190From the first phone call to the finished ground, here is how it goes.
Call, text or send the form. We talk through what is growing, how much ground it covers, and what you want it to become, then set a time to come see it.
We look at the property with you, flag the trees and spots that stay, and give you a clear price. You know exactly what gets cleared and what it costs before anything starts.
The machine shows up when we said it would. Brush, saplings and small trees get ground into mulch in place, with no burn piles, no haul-off and no torn-up topsoil.
Look over the finished ground with us. Open, walkable, usable land, ready to mow, fence, hunt or plant. From trails to tracts, it is yours again.
Common questions about hunting property across Jackson, Union & Williamson counties. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 MoreBlackburn Land Service is based in Cobden. We look at your ground before we quote, and the plan gets set with you before any work starts.
A tracked skid steer with a forestry mulching head, backed by a limb saw, grapple and tree shear. Brush gets ground into mulch where it stands, not piled and burned.
We come look at the ground, talk through what opens up and what stays, and give you a clear price before the machine moves. Small jobs are welcome, down to a single lane.
Blackburn Land Service LLC is fully insured. Careful, selective work around the trees, fences and buildings you keep, with minimal soil disturbance and nothing left smoldering.
Real 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.
Is baiting deer legal in Illinois? No. See what counts as bait under the Wildlife Code, how the 10 day rule works and why food plots are legal.
Read more →Shooting lane timing for Southern Illinois hunters: the best cutting windows, how far ahead of the archery opener to cut. Call (618) 697-5190.
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Mulching grinds growth in place and protects topsoil. Traditional clearing strips ground bare for building. Which fits your Southern Illinois property, honestly.
Read more →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.