Brush Clearing
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 MoreForestry mulching grinds brush, saplings and small trees into wood chip mulch right where they stand. Blackburn Land Service is based in Cobden and works across far Southern Illinois. Our machine is a tracked skid steer with a forestry mulching head. The head cuts the growth off at ground level and grinds it into chips on the spot. It also takes stumps down to grade level as it works. The chips fall as a layer over the dirt, so there is no burn pile and much less hauling. Most ground stays firm enough to drive on the same day we finish. Small jobs are welcome and estimates are free.
Most calls we get involve the same growth. Autumn olive, multiflora rose and bush honeysuckle take over wooded edges and old fields. Vines climb the fence lines and saplings fill in every gap. A forestry mulching head handles all of it in one pass. The operator picks each stem, so the trees you want stay standing. We can also stack material with a grapple when you would rather keep some of it. If your job is a whole field or a grown up fence line, our brush clearing page covers that work. Call (618) 697-5190 and we will come look at it.
Tell us about your land. We will get right back to you.
We start with a look at the ground and the growth you want gone. You point out the trees you are keeping, plus any fence, tile line, well head or septic lid. Then the machine works in lanes from the outside edge toward the middle. Thick underbrush and saplings go down first. The head passes back over the material to grind it finer and spread it flat.
Most residential jobs run one to two days, though heavy growth and rough ground slow it down. The limb saw handles low or damaged limbs on trees you are keeping. It cuts them clean and then mulches them once they are on the ground. A mulcher head alone leaves a frayed break on a standing limb, so the saw does that part. The tree shear snips small trunks in tight spots where the head cannot fit.
Burning means stacking every stick into piles first, then waiting for the right day and the right wind. The piles leave burn scars that stay bare for a long time. Hauling means loading the same material and paying to move it off the property. Forestry mulching skips both steps, since the material never leaves the spot where it grew. The chips stay put and break down into the soil over time.
A dozer is the other way to open ground, and it works from the roots up. It pushes the growth out, which tears up the topsoil and leaves ruts. That dirt then needs shaping and seed before it looks right. Our tracked machine spreads its weight and cuts at the surface. The ground under the chips stays close to how it started. Both have a place, and the mulcher fits the brush end of land clearing in Southern Illinois.
The mulcher works through underbrush, vines, saplings and small trees. It grinds stumps down to grade level as it goes. It fits wooded edges, fence rows and old fields that filled in with brush. It also works right up to the trees you keep. Steep ground and soft wet spots are the two things that slow it most. For a lane through the timber, see our trail cutting page.
There are jobs this machine is not built for. We do not fell large trees, so a big oak near the house is a tree service call. We do not dig out stumps or root balls, since the stumps are cut level and left in place. Dirt work and grading are outside what we do. The chip layer also stays on top for a while, which some people like and some do not.
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 forestry mulching across Jackson, Union & Williamson counties. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
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 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.
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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.