Forestry Mulching
We grind standing brush, saplings and small trees into mulch with a mulcher head on our tracked loader. The chips stay on the ground and hold the soil in place.
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Ground around Winchester fills in fast. Fence rows, hay fields and old orchard ground grow up in multiflora rose, autumn olive and briars. Saplings come in behind them. In a few seasons a clean field turns into brush too thick for a mower.
Marloy Hill Enterprise is a land clearing and excavation company based in Augusta, West Virginia. Winchester sits about 25 miles east on US 50, so the Frederick County area is regular ground for us. We open up overgrown lots, run forestry mulching on wooded acreage, and handle excavation with a mini excavator. Estimates are free, so call or text (540) 327-1400.
Tell us about the job and the ground. We will get right back to you.
Winchester is an independent city of about nine square miles, ringed by Frederick County. Most acreage sits outside the city line, so that is where the clearing work happens. The county covers about 416 square miles and still grows more apples than any other county in Virginia.
The ground changes as you cross the county. East and north of town the valley sits on limestone, with springs and sinkholes. West on US 50 toward Round Hill and Gore, the ridges take over. Little North Mountain and Third Hill Mountain run shale, thinner soil and steeper slopes.
We work that ground with two machines. A tracked loader carries a forestry mulcher head for standing brush and small trees. A mini excavator carries a brush cutter for heavy brush and a bucket for digging. Both ride in on our own trailer.
Frederick County grew about 17 percent between 2010 and 2020, and houses keep going up on old farm ground. Plenty of orchard blocks have come out over the years too. Fields around Kernstown, Stephenson and Clear Brook that sit idle for a few seasons come back full of brush.
The brush cutter on the mini excavator works where a tractor cannot. It reaches up road banks, over old woven wire and into fence rows along Apple Pie Ridge. That is the brush hogging side of the work. It cuts overgrown ground back to something a mower can handle.
Where the growth has gone past brush into saplings and small trees, the mulcher head is the better tool. It grinds the material in place and leaves a chip layer on the ground. On sloped Frederick County fields, that layer helps hold soil until grass comes back.
Water is easy to find around Winchester. Redbud Run starts at two big springs near Interstate 81 and runs about four miles to Opequon Creek. Abrams Creek runs about eleven miles through the city and into the Opequon as well. Springs and wet spots show up on hillsides all over the Frederick County area.
On limestone ground, water moves underground and comes out where you do not expect it. French drains and drainage trenches move it away from a house, cabin or barn. We dig those lines with the mini excavator and pitch them so water keeps running.
Long rural drives take a beating here, especially the ones cut into a slope. Regrading and crowning a gravel driveway sends water off the surface and out the sides. A new entrance onto a state road needs a VDOT private entrance permit, so that is worth sorting out early.
Frederick County has rules on how much ground you can open at once. Land disturbance over 10,000 square feet needs an approved erosion and sediment control plan and a permit from Public Works. An acre or more adds a stormwater permit. Inside the Winchester city line, that paperwork goes through the city engineering office.
Most rural land in the county is zoned Rural Areas. That district holds density to one house per five acres and is written to keep open land and tree cover. It is worth a call to the county before a big clearing job starts.
We come out and look at the ground first. That shows us where the machines can go, what is standing and where water runs. Then you get a free estimate for the work. Call or text (540) 327-1400.
Communities and areas we serve around Winchester: Old Town Winchester, Apple Pie Ridge, Kernstown, Stephenson, Clear Brook, Gainesboro, Round Hill, Gore, Cross Junction, Shawneeland, Lake Holiday, Star Tannery.
Winchester ZIP codes served: 22601, 22602, 22603.
Free estimates throughout Frederick County area and the surrounding area.
(540) 327-1400 We grind standing brush, saplings and small trees into mulch with a mulcher head on our tracked loader. The chips stay on the ground and hold the soil in place.
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We cut overgrown fields, pastures and fence rows back down to open ground. A brush cutter on the mini excavator reaches banks, ditch lines and fence rows from level footing.
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We dig stumps out with a mini excavator, root ball and all. The hole gets backfilled and bladed level so the spot can be mowed or built on.
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Mini excavator digging for trenches, ditches, driveway cuts and dirt work. We clear and dig on the same trip across Hampshire County and the Eastern Panhandle.
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We level pads, smooth rutted ground and shape lots after clearing. The finished grade sends water away from your buildings instead of toward them.
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We cut in new gravel driveways and lanes on rural lots, and regrade drives that have rutted or washed out. The surface gets crowned so water runs off the drive instead of down it.
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We install French drains and drainage trenches that move water away from houses, cabins, barns and driveways. The mini excavator digs the line, then pipe and washed stone go in so the ground drains.
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We clear grown up fence rows and property lines on farms and acreage across Hampshire County. The row comes back to a clean line your fence crew can work from.
Learn MoreA few of the questions we hear most around Winchester. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
Tell us where the property is and what you want the ground to do. Call or text (540) 327-1400, or fill in the form and we will get back to you.
Tell us about the job and the ground. We will get right back to you.