Hillside View Opening & Cedar Mulching

Project Overview

This hilltop property had a view worth keeping — but years of young cedar growth had grown up and blocked it. Most of the cedars were second-generation growth, and past storms had left broken, fallen oaks scattered across the ground. The goal was to open the hillside back up so the owners could see the surrounding hills from the house again.

Scope of Work

• Mulched the young cedar growth with the forestry mulcher on a skid steer
• Processed the storm-damaged and fallen oaks lying on the ground
• Started at the top of the hill and worked down to a safe stopping point, leaving the lower slope untouched
• Selectively mulched around the live shin oaks at the top of the hill

Terrain & Site Conditions

Rocky Hill Country hilltop, sloping downward from the house. Loose rock made tight turns with the skid steer tedious — the machine hung up on stones in places — so the work stayed on the upper slope.

Challenges & Considerations

The slope and the rock. Turning the machine on angled, rocky ground took slow, careful driving, and the job was stopped partway down the hill rather than pushing to the bottom, keeping the skid steer on safe footing the whole way.

Result

The hillside opened up completely. The neighboring hills are in full view from the house again, the shin oaks at the top stand clean with the cedars gone around them, and the owners immediately noticed the difference in the view.