Forestry Mulching & Brush Hogging in St. Clair County, MI

Three rivers and a lot of ditch banks

The Black River rises in northern Sanilac County and runs about 81 miles to the St. Clair River at Port Huron, with Mill Creek among its tributaries. The Belle River comes in from Lapeer County, passes north of Memphis and runs through China and East China townships to the St. Clair River at Marine City. The Pine River reaches the St. Clair River at the city of St. Clair. Between them, farm ground is cut by ditches, and fence rows along water are where the brush gets thickest.

If a ditch you want cut back is a county drain, ask the St. Clair County Drain Commissioner before work is done on it. Work in a stream itself goes through Michigan EGLE.

Mulching or full clearing

Mulching leaves the stumps and roots in the ground, which keeps it firm and helps hold banks and slopes. That suits a woodlot you want to walk, a trail, or a field edge you want held back. If a house or barn is going on the spot, the stumps have to come out, and that is a clearing job. See land clearing in St. Clair County and the mulching vs. land clearing guide.

Trails, parks and property lines

The county runs five county parks, among them Columbus County Park and Goodells County Park, and it operates the Wadhams to Avoca Trail. Plenty of private land borders public ground, a trail or a neighbor's woods, so know where your line is and mark what stays before the mulcher goes in. For trails and food plots on your own land, the trails and food plots guide covers the planning.

Timing on wet ground

Heavy, wet ground ruts under any machine. Wet corners and low fields are usually cut when they are driest or frozen, and the timing is part of the estimate. If the mulching opens ground that will later be graded or built on, the St. Clair County Health Department is the county's soil erosion enforcing agency under EGLE's Part 91 program, and it is the office to ask about earth changes.