Fence Line & Property Line Clearing
A fence row left alone turns into a hedge full of thorns, vines and trees growing through the wire. We open it up with a tracked forestry mulcher so you can build fence, see your line or farm to the edge again.
Fence Line Clearing, Start to Finish
Every farm has one. The fence row nobody has cut since the cattle left, now as wide as a hay wagon and twice as tall. Honeysuckle and buckthorn came up under the wire where the mower could not reach. Wild cherry and box elder grew through it. Each summer the row leans a little farther into the field and takes another strip out of the hay. The fence builder will not quote the job until the line is clear, and you cannot even see the old posts.
The tracked forestry mulcher runs down the line and grinds the brush and small trees to chips where they stand. A fence row is long and narrow, which is where this method shines. There is no pile every hundred feet and nothing to burn. On most rows the machine works one side and then the other, and takes the line back to a width you choose. Bigger trees you want gone come out with the excavator. Trees you want kept for shade or as line markers stay.
When we leave, you have a clean strip a fence crew can drive, with the mulch laid down to hold the soil. A mower can keep it that way. This work is one part of our forestry mulching. If the same thorny shrubs have spread out into the field, see invasive brush removal. To talk through your line, call Jeff at (330) 625-5754.
Fence Row Work We Take On
- Old farm fence rows cut back
- Property lines opened pin to pin
- Strips cleared ahead of new fence
- Field edges pushed back to full width
- Overhanging brush cleared along lanes
- Line trees and shade trees left standing
Why fence rows grow shut
Birds sit on the wire and drop seed, and the mower can never quite reach under it. That is all it takes. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources describes common buckthorn as an invasive shrub that colonizes fencerows, old fields, roadsides and other disturbed ground, and it calls multiflora rose likely the most widespread invasive plant in the state, found in all 88 counties. Add bush honeysuckle and grapevine and you have the standard northeast Ohio fence row. None of it is hard for a mulcher. The trouble is only that it gets worse every season it is left, and wider each time.
Finding the line before clearing it
Property line clearing is only as good as the line. A surveyor is the one who sets the line. If the corner pins are buried or missing, have them set and flagged before we come. Then we clear to the marks you show us. If the row sits on a shared boundary, talk to your neighbor first. Half that hedge may be theirs, and they may want it gone or want it kept. A short talk at the fence saves a long argument later. When both owners agree, clearing both sides at once is faster and gives a cleaner result.
Old wire, posts and the new fence
Tell us what is buried in the row. Woven wire, barbed wire and steel posts wrap around a mulching head and stop the job, so we need to know before we start. Old fence in the worst stretches usually has to come out before the mulcher can run. Who pulls it gets settled in the estimate. We get the line ready for your fence crew. Ask your fence builder how wide a strip they want and whether they need stumps flush. We clear to that, and they can start on clean ground.
Fence Line Clearing, Up Close
Real photos from Logan Earthworks jobs. See more recent work.
Fence Line Clearing Questions
Not seeing yours? Call (330) 625-5754 and ask Jeff.
- Forestry Mulching Cost Per Acre in Ohio: What Moves the Price
- What Is Forestry Mulching and When Is It the Right Call?
- What to Do After Forestry Mulching: Regrowth, Seeding and Upkeep
- Forestry Mulching vs Bulldozing: Which One Fits Your Land?
- How Much Land Can a Forestry Mulcher Clear in a Day?
- Is Forestry Mulching Worth It? The Downsides, Plainly
How wide should a fence line be cleared for a new fence?
Wide enough for the fence crew to drive along it and for you to mow both sides afterward. The exact width is your fence builder's call, so ask them before we start. One pass of the mulcher down each side of the line suits many farm fences. Tighter strips are possible where a lawn, a ditch or a neighbor's trees set the limit.
Can you clear a property line if I do not have a survey?
We can clear brush anywhere on ground you own. Where the line sits is a surveyor's call, so if you want the strip cleared right on the boundary, have it flagged first. That protects you and your neighbor. It helps to have the line surveyed shortly before the clearing, so the flags are still standing when the mulcher arrives.
Can you clear a fence row with the old fence still in it?
Sometimes. If the fence is sound and you want it kept, we can mulch up close to it on each side and leave a narrow strip to trim by hand. If the fence is junk and buried in the brush, it has to come out first, since wire ruins mulcher teeth. Jeff will look at the row with you and sort out which stretches are which.
What does fence line clearing cost?
Length, width and how thick the growth is drive it. A row of honeysuckle and briars goes quickly. A row with mature trees and old wire through it takes longer and may need the excavator. Access matters too: a row beside an open field is easier than one between a creek and a barn. Estimates are free and Jeff gives them after seeing the line.
My neighbor and I share an overgrown fence row. Can you clear both sides?
Yes, with both owners on board. We need permission to run the machine on each property, and it helps to have both of you there for the walk through. Who pays for what is between the two of you. Questions about who is legally responsible for a line fence in Ohio belong with an attorney. We just need a clear yes from each side.
How a Job Runs
Talk It Through
Call or send the form. Tell us where the ground is and what you want it to look like when we leave.
We Look at the Site
Jeff walks it with you: the growth, the slope, the wet spots, the way in and out for the machines.
A Straight Plan
You get a free estimate and a plain recommendation on the approach that fits the ground.
The Work Gets Done
We bring the right machine for the job and do the work the way we said we would.
Clean and Ready
We leave the site cleaned up and ready for the next step, whatever that is for you.
Fence Line Clearing Near You
Based in Farmdale, in Trumbull County, Ohio. Pick your town, or call and ask if we cover it.
Forestry Mulching pages for your town
More services
Forestry Mulching
Brush and small trees ground into mulch in place. No piles, no burning, no hauling.
DetailsBrush Mulching
Thick brush, briars and saplings ground to mulch in place. No piles to deal with.
DetailsHunting Land & Trails
Trails, shooting lanes and food plot openings cut through thick cover with a mulcher.
DetailsNeed Fence Line Clearing?
Call Jeff or send a few details. Estimates are free, and you get a straight answer on what the job takes.