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.
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Blackburn Land Service handles brush clearing for property owners across far Southern Illinois. We are based in Cobden and cover Jackson, Union and Williamson counties. Brush takes ground slowly, so most people notice it years too late. A pasture sits idle and the field edge creeps in past the fence. Old lots you used to mow turn into a wall of thorns and saplings. We clear that growth with a tracked skid steer and a forestry mulching head. The brush is ground into wood chip mulch right where it stands, so there is nothing to haul off.
Most brush clearing work here starts with the same plants. Autumn olive, multiflora rose, bush honeysuckle and wild vines take over old fields and wooded edges. That growth is dense and thorny, and it does not stop at the fence line. We can take a field back to open ground, or thin the understory and leave the trees you want. The work is done with forestry mulching, so the brush becomes mulch instead of a burn pile. Blackburn Land Service is owner operated and fully insured, and estimates are free. Small jobs are welcome. Call us at (618) 697-5190 and we will come look at the job.
Tell us about your land. We will get right back to you.
Most calls start with a piece of ground that got thick. An old pasture that has not been mowed in years. A back lot that filled in behind the house. A field edge that crept in past the fence and kept going. Brush clearing puts that ground back in use for hay, pasture, a building site or just a clean view.
We work on old fields, fence lines, ditch banks, wooded edges and lots that outgrew a mower. Fence line clearing is a common one, since a clear fence is easier to check and repair. We can also open up around a shed, a pond bank, a gate or a driveway that has closed in. If you have a spot in mind, tell us what you want it to look like when we are done.
You call or message us, and we set a time to come see the ground. We look at how thick the brush is, what size the stems are and how the machine gets in. Then we give you a price before any work starts. Ask for a free estimate, and the visit costs you nothing. Small jobs are welcome, so ask even if the patch is small.
On the day of the job, the skid steer does the cutting and the mulching in one pass. The brush is ground down where it stands and the chips are left spread on the ground. Stumps are taken down to grade level so you can drive or mow over them. There is no burn pile and nothing to haul off, so the ground is usable the same day.
A lot of brush clearing is selective. You want the honeysuckle and the saplings gone, and you want the big trees left standing. We can work the understory around keeper trees and leave them alone. A tree shear snips a sapling off in a tight spot between two trees you keep. That keeps the good trees intact while the brush underneath comes out.
A limb saw handles low or damaged limbs on trees you keep. It cuts them clean, and the limbs get mulched once they are on the ground. If you would rather keep some of the material, a grapple can stack it in a pile. It is the same work behind our hunting property improvement jobs. Tell us which trees stay and we work around them.
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 brush clearing 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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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 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 MoreBlackburn Land Service is owner operated out of Cobden. The person who looks at your ground is the person who runs the machine, 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.
What forestry mulching costs per acre in Southern Illinois in 2026: Illinois ranges, hourly and day rates, minimums, and what actually moves the number.
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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 →When Illinois land clearing needs a permit and when it does not: the 1-acre construction trigger, floodplain rules, and the burn rules that surprise people.
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What land clearing costs per acre in Illinois in 2026: statewide ranges, Southern Illinois operator tiers, what moves the number, and how small jobs get priced.
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.