Defensible Space
Fuel reduction around homes, barns, shops and outbuildings. Brush, saplings and ladder fuels removed so fire slows down before it reaches a structure.
- Home ignition zone work
- Barns & outbuildings
- Ladder-fuel removal
Forestry Mulching · Wildfire Mitigation · BC
Remove the fuel
before the fire finds it.
Excavators and skid steers armed with forestry mulching heads grind brush and small trees into mulch where they stand. Fire breaks and defensible space, built in a single pass — nothing hauled, nothing burned.
Working with local governments, ranches and rural landowners across British Columbia.
1–2 acres
cleared per day, terrain dependent
cleared per day, terrain dependent
1–2 acCleared per machine-day
1 passCut, grind & spread at once
0 loadsHauled off your property
0 pilesLeft to burn or dispose of
Hired by
Local Governments
Ranches & Agricultural Land
Rural & Acreage Owners
The Risk
A wildfire doesn't start at your house. It arrives there.
It travels through the brush, saplings and deadfall surrounding it. That understory is a fuse running straight to your buildings.
- 01
Ladder fuels
Low brush and small trees carry a ground fire up into the canopy, where it spreads faster and throws embers further.
- 02
Continuous fuel to structures
Unbroken vegetation gives fire a path to homes, barns, shops, hay and equipment.
- 03
Catastrophic, uninsured loss
Buildings, livestock, machinery and timber value can be lost in a single afternoon — and some losses can't be replaced.
Extended 10–30 m
Intermediate 1.5–10 m
0–1.5 m
FireSmart BC Home Ignition Zone. Our machines do their heaviest work in the extended zone and beyond — where fuel loads are greatest and hand crews are slowest.
The Old Way vs. Forestry Mulching
Why pay a crew to move your brush three times?
The traditional approach is a crew with chainsaws and a chipper truck. Every branch is cut, dragged, fed, hauled and paid for at the dump. A forestry mulcher does all of it in one pass, and the material never leaves the ground it grew on.
The old way
Hand crew + chipper truck
- A crew of workers billing hours with chainsaws and brush cutters
- Every branch handled by hand — cut, dragged, stacked, fed into a chipper
- Hauling and disposal fees on every load that leaves the property
- Burn piles restricted by bylaws, permits and seasonal bans
- Multiple visits and weeks on site for large acreage
The ClearLand way
Forestry mulching
- One operator, one machine doing the work of a full crew
- Cut, ground and spread in a single pass — standing brush to mulch
- Nothing to haul, nothing to dispose of — zero tipping fees
- No burning required, so burn bans don't stall the project
- 1–2 acres per day, with a mulch layer that protects soil and slows regrowth
Honest math: a crew that only cuts and leaves debris on the ground can cost less per acre. Once chipping, piling, burning, hauling and disposal are added, forestry mulching is typically comparable or lower — and it's finished in one entry instead of several. Source: USDA Forest Service, To Masticate or Not (RMRS-GTR-381, 2018). The free guide breaks down the full comparison.
How It Works
Standing brush in. Mulch out.
A forestry mulching head is a heavy rotating drum lined with hardened carbide teeth. It turns over at high speed, driven by the machine's hydraulics.
Engage
The operator brings the spinning head into brush and small trees. Excavator-mounted heads reach up slopes, over ditches and in tight around trees you want to keep.
Grind
Stems, branches and shrubs are shredded on contact into bark mulch and wood chips, right where they stood.
Spread
The material settles as a ground layer that holds soil, keeps moisture in and slows regrowth. The ladder fuel is gone; the mulch stays.
Think of it as a wood chipper built onto the front of the machine. Instead of a crew feeding it all day, the machine feeds itself as it drives.
Services
Wildfire mitigation & land clearing, built to scale.
Fire Breaks
Wide, continuous breaks along property lines, access roads and the wildland–urban interface. They interrupt the fuel bed and give crews a defensible line to work from.
- Perimeter breaks
- Interface fuel treatments
- Access & egress routes
Land Clearing & Reclamation
Overgrown acreage turned back into usable land. Pasture, building sites, sightlines and trails are reclaimed without a single burn pile.
- Pasture recovery
- Building & site prep
- Trails & fence lines
Municipal & Large-Scale Fuel Treatments
Fuel management for local governments, parks and community interface zones. Work is delivered to your prescription, with the production rate large projects need.
- Community wildfire plans
- Parks & green space
- Multi-site programs
The Fleet
Heavy iron. Surgical control.
Two machine platforms, each fitted with a forestry mulching head and matched to the terrain, plus specialized support equipment for the jobs in between.
Excavator + Forestry Mulching Head
Boom reach puts the head where tracked machines can't drive: steep slopes, ditches, creek edges and in close around trees and structures you're keeping.
- Best for
- Slopes & selective work
- Strength
- Reach & precision
Tracked Skid Steer + Forestry Mulcher
A front-mounted drum mulcher on a tracked carrier. Built for production on open and rolling ground, where it covers acreage fast.
- Best for
- Open ground & fire breaks
- Strength
- Production speed
Who We Serve
For the people responsible for a lot of land.
Public sector
Local Governments
Interface fuel treatments, parks and community wildfire protection projects. Delivered to prescription by an operator who shows up with the machines on the day it was scheduled.
Agriculture
Ranches & Farms
Fire breaks around barns, hay and livestock. Encroaching brush pushed back off pasture and fence lines, so the land you own is land you can use again.
Private property
Rural & Acreage Owners
Defensible space around your home and outbuildings, done properly and done once — by a team that removes the risk instead of rearranging it.
Free Guide · PDF
Mulch vs. Crew: the landowner's guide to clearing brush the right way.
Before you hire anyone to clear your land, know what you're actually paying for. This guide puts forestry mulching side by side with a hand crew and chipper truck, honestly and in plain language.
- What forestry mulching is, and what the machines can and can't do
- The real cost of a hand crew: labour, chipper, hauling and disposal
- When mulching wins, and when it honestly doesn't
- Planning defensible space and fire breaks using FireSmart BC zones
- Questions to ask any contractor before signing
Download the Free Guide
Instant download. No email required.
The Engagement
From first call to finished ground.
Consultation
We discuss your property, objectives and timeline.
Site Walk
We assess terrain, fuel load, access and the structures to protect.
Written Proposal
A defined scope, machine plan and price before anything moves.
Mulching
We clear at 1–2 acres per day, with nothing left to haul or burn.
Re-treatment
Regrowth returns over time. We schedule follow-ups so the work holds.
Questions
What landowners ask us first.
How much can you clear in a day?
Typically 1–2 acres per machine-day. Slope, vegetation density and stem size are the biggest variables. We'll give you a realistic estimate after the site walk.
What size of trees and brush can you mulch?
Brush, shrubs, saplings and small-diameter trees, generally up to about 6 inches across, are ground to bark mulch and chips. Larger trees are assessed on site and handled separately where needed.
What happens to all the material?
It stays on your property as a layer of mulch. Nothing is hauled away and nothing is burned, so there are no disposal fees and no dependence on burn windows.
Is mulching cheaper than hiring a hand crew?
Usually, once the whole job is counted. A crew that only cuts and leaves debris can be cheaper per acre. Adding chipping, hauling, disposal or pile burning typically makes mulching comparable or lower, and it finishes faster. The free guide walks through the full comparison.
Can you work on slopes and around trees we want to keep?
Yes. Our excavator-mounted mulcher works from a stable position and reaches up slopes, over ditches and around trees and structures with precision.
Do you work with local governments and regional districts?
Yes. We deliver fuel treatments to the prescriptions and specifications you provide, and work alongside your wildfire and parks staff on scheduling and access.
How often does the work need to be redone?
It depends on the site and species, but regrowth returns over a number of years. Many clients schedule periodic re-treatment so their defensible space stays effective.
Request a Proposal
Ready to move? Tell us about the land.
Share the basics and we'll schedule a site walk. You'll receive a written proposal with a defined scope and price before any work begins.
- Written scope and price before work starts
- Owner-operated equipment, nothing subcontracted
- Fully insured operators
Every season you wait, the fuel load grows.
Start with the guide, or start with a site walk. Either way, start before fire season does.