Important Facts Relating To Forestry Mulching

| Friday, December 20, 2013
By Eugenia Dickerson


Forestry mulching is one of the methods that are used in land clearing. In this method, clearing, grinding and cutting of vegetation is done by only one machine. This machine is also termed a brushcutter, a mulcher or a masticator. The machines are fitted with specialized teethed drums that move in a rotatory motion as they shred the vegetation. One mulcher can clear about 15 acres of land in a day. This may be more or less depending on the nature of terrain and the vegetation type.

This clearing method has a wide range of applications. One of the areas in which it is used is in right-of-way clearance. This is often required for roads, pipelines, highways and other types of utility lines. Mulchers are preferred in such cases because they can remove all standing trees, vegetation and stumps with ease. This ability also makes them a good choice for clearing land that is to be used for creation of commercial and residential projects.

This technique is used in conservation of wetlands and riparian habitats. The groups of organisations likely to be involved in this exercise include government agencies, non-governmental organisations, private land owners and hunt clubs. Animal habitats include the food, water and the shelter. Masticators are used to remove invasive species of vegetation so as to give room for grass and other food sources. The grasses also provide shelter for some organisms. Clearance also makes access to water sources easier.

Mulching is widely used for controlling wild fires. This is done either as a proactive or an active measure. Proactively, the amount of dry vegetation is reduced in areas that are likely to be affected by fires. Such vegetation includes dry leaves, rotten trees and so on. As an active measure, the method is used in the creation of firebreaks and to control the spread. A clean-up process can also be undertaken after a fire to reduce the chance of soil erosion.

There are a number of benefits that are realised by users of this method. Perhaps the most important of them is the fact that it is a time saving technique. Since the clearing process is done in a single stage, the many steps of conventional methods such as site preparation, felling and cutting of trees are all avoided. Only a single machine is required here and this means that the eventual cost is reduced.

Another great advantage of these machines is that they can be used in very difficult terrains and during harsh climatic conditions. This makes their use possible at virtually any time. Despite the huge strengths that they possess, mulchers cause very little damage to the soil. The fertile component is left intact and productive. This is in contrast to the traditional methods which are associated with high rates of soil erosion.

There are several advantages, albeit few, that have been identified. One of the disadvantages is that the machine can only move vegetation. Rocks and stones require alternative methods and they even cause damage to the grinding teeth. The use of these machines requires that the areas are accessible by road.

Forestry mulching is a technique that continues to grow in popularity by the day. As a method of clearing land, it is very cost effective. The method has numerous advantages over the traditional techniques. The disadvantages are very few.




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1 comments:

Unknown said...

Awesome information shared about Forestry mulching. I have subscribed your post.

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