Forestry mulching & land clearing questions

Forestry mulching is a way of clearing land where one machine cuts and grinds trees, brush and vines in place and spreads the material as mulch across the ground. There are no burn piles and no trucks hauling debris on most jobs. The mulch layer protects the soil from erosion and breaks down over time. We run a tracked skid steer with a forestry mulching head, which is light on the ground and fits into tight spots.

Traditional clearing pushes trees over with a dozer, digs out the stumps, piles the debris and then burns or hauls it, which leaves bare, torn-up soil. Forestry mulching grinds everything in place in one step, leaves the topsoil and root mat mostly undisturbed and covers the ground with mulch. It is usually faster, cleaner and easier on the land. When you are building and need a clean pad, we also grub, grade, haul off or burn where allowed.

Every job is priced after we look at it, and the quote is free. The main things that set the price are how much land there is, how thick the growth is, the size and type of trees, slope and terrain, how easy it is to get the machine in, whether you want mulch left or material hauled off, and how far the property is from Commerce. Send us the address and a few photos and we will give you a clear price.

Our mulcher takes stumps down to about ground level, which is fine for pasture, trails, yards and most land management work. We do not offer below-grade stump grinding. If you are building and need stumps and roots fully removed for a house pad or driveway, we can grub them out as part of clearing and grading.

It depends on the county, the size of the area and how much soil is disturbed. Sites disturbing one acre or more generally need state stormwater permit coverage, and many counties require a land disturbance permit. Work within 25 feet of state waters (50 feet on trout streams) has buffer rules. Mulching leaves roots and soil mostly in place, which counties often treat differently from grubbing and grading, but check with your county. We will walk you through what applies.

We are based in Commerce, Georgia, and work across all of North Georgia and metro Atlanta. That includes Jackson, Hall, Barrow, Gwinnett, Clarke, Oconee, Madison, Banks, Franklin, Hart, Stephens, Habersham, White, Dawson, Forsyth, Cherokee, Pickens and the metro Atlanta counties. If you are not sure we cover your property, call or text us.

Yes. Northline Forestry Group is fully insured, and we can send a certificate of insurance to you, your builder or your HOA before work starts.

On most jobs the mulch stays on the ground as a layer that holds soil, slows runoff, keeps weeds down and breaks down into organic matter over the next year or two. If you need the area clean for building, seeding or landscaping, tell us and we will plan for spreading it thinner, grading or hauling it off.

Yes. Selective clearing is one of the best reasons to use a mulcher. Mark or show us the trees you want to keep, such as hardwoods, shade trees or a stand of pines, and we clear the underbrush and unwanted growth around them without damaging their trunks.

It is one of the gentlest ways to clear land. The roots stay in the ground and the mulch layer covers the soil, so rain hits mulch instead of bare Georgia clay. On steep or sensitive ground we still plan around drainage paths and buffers, and we can add seed, straw or silt fence where the site needs it.

Usually, yes. Our machine runs on rubber tracks with low ground pressure, which handles hills and soft ground better than wheeled equipment. Every slope gets judged on site for safety. After heavy rain we may move a job a day or two so we do not rut the ground or track mud onto roads.

Yes. We have over 30 years in the sitework industry, the last 7 in turnkey civil site development for commercial and industrial clients, so we understand plans, limits of disturbance, erosion control and what the grading and utility crews need next. We clear lots, rights-of-way and building pads for builders and developers.

We can. Mulching in place is usually the better and cheaper choice, but when a project needs the material gone we haul it off, and we burn only where it is allowed, with a Georgia Forestry Commission permit, and outside the seasonal burn ban that covers many metro Atlanta-area counties from May 1 to September 30.

Call or text (770) 891-0899, or fill out the quote form on our contact page. Send the property address or a map pin, a rough idea of the area, and a few photos if you have them. The quote is free.

Mark your property lines and any trees you want saved, point out septic tanks, drain fields, wells and buried lines you know about, and make sure we can get a trailer to the site. Call Georgia 811 before any job that involves grading or digging. We go over all of this with you before we start.

Yes. We clear land in every season. Late fall and winter are a great time for it because the leaves are down, it is easier to see the land and pick trees to keep, and many plants are dormant. Rain is the main thing that moves our schedule.