The heaviest mulcher available on the market can cover about 15 acres per day. For lighter applications, or for areas where larger equipment can't fit, smaller machines still get the job done. Less heavy equipment can clear an acre in half a day or a day, depending on foliage thickness. Mulching processes in the forest are particularly effective, since they are free of contaminants.
The process can take 2 to 3 hours for an acre of land to be cleared. First and foremost, forest mulching is by far the most effective and environmentally friendly way to clean your land. By mulching weeds and trees, we eliminate the need to burn large piles and provide nutrient-rich soil mulch. Our machines also have very wide caterpillars that offer a low PSI in the soil, reducing damage to the soil and root systems of mature trees.
Heavy-duty forestry grinders can clean up to 15 acres of vegetation per day, depending on terrain, density and material type. Using the largest possible forest mulching machines, the process is effective only when the land is home to less than 25 tons of vegetation or 100 trees per acre. The flip side of the coin is that many service providers will think that since they have a brushcutter mounted on a wheelbarrow or a skid steer loader, they can perform heavy brushcutting work and therefore, under tender, they cannot complete the job or end up overcharging the customer due to the fact that in a per production base time, they just can't deliver like we can. Our mulching units are specifically designed to support everything from grasses to 15″ diameter trees on 30 degree inclines and can do so all day and then, in turn, deliver a final state that is manageable by the customer.
This means that in the service areas all stumps are lowered to ground level, all protruding branches are removed, all vegetation is mulched and left on the ground in an aesthetically pleasing way that supports the earth and acts as a deterrent to erosion and regrowth of plants invaders. We hire someone with a forest grinder recommended by our area's Natural Resources Conservation District. It is the least damaging way to quickly clear densely forested areas. We had about 3 to 4 acres cleared and it took 3 days.
The shredder is attached to a very large compact loader. We specified what size of trees to leave and shredded everything else, mostly invasive weeds but also small trees. It made our land look like a park. He did a beautiful job and it was definitely worth the money.
Previously, we couldn't see through weeds and trees at more than 20 feet. Now the entire 3 to 4 acre area is visible and we can see deer and other wildlife. I was surprised that the vegetation grew through the mulch very quickly. We cleaned it in December and by the summer it was overgrown.
Our area is not our home, but close to it. I'm not sure if I'd want that much mulch near our house because I'd be worried about termites and it's probably not something you can grow a good lawn on. Ours is just a wooded area that we cut periodically with a tractor now that we can cross. You can check with the NRCS office in your area to see if they recommend it for your location.
Depending on factors such as the extent of the land, the amount of material required, and the depth of materials to be removed, the ability of forest mulch to allow up to two acres per day to be cleaned depends on the duration of the project (avoiding certain objects). I haven't received an estimate from the latter company yet, but this company can clear 3-4 acres in 2 days. I ended up receiving 3 estimates for forest mulching of approximately 8 acres of sloping land south of Asheville covered with small trees and weeds. .
