Brush Clearing In Duluth, MN
Buckthorn hedges, alder in the ravine, a backyard that got away from you. We grind Duluth brush where it stands and leave the trees you want.
- Free estimates
- One machine, one pass
- Works all year
Brush Clearing Around Duluth
Brush clearing in Duluth usually starts with a yard that slipped out of control. The lawn ends at a wall of buckthorn, alder and young popple. Behind it sits a creek bank, a rock outcrop or a lot line nobody has seen in a while. We take that wall down with one tracked machine and a mulching head. Every stem is ground into chips right where it grew, so nothing gets dragged to the curb.
Buckthorn is a real fight in this city. The City of Duluth runs a volunteer program called Duluth Invaders to pull invasive plants out of public green space, and common and glossy buckthorn are on its list. Private yards that border those parks and ravines fill with the same shrubs. Our brush and underbrush clearing knocks the whole thicket to the ground in one visit.
Water shapes a lot of Duluth yards too. The city has a long list of trout streams, among them the Lester River, Amity Creek, Tischer Creek, Chester Creek and Miller Creek. Plenty of backyards slope down toward one of them. Brush near those banks needs a lighter touch, and some of it should stay put. Calvin walks the yard with you, points out what is holding the bank, and plans the cut around it.
Up the hill and past the edge of the city, another kind of brush problem shows up. Spruce budworm has hit balsam fir hard across St. Louis County. Dead gray balsam stands in the understory and tips over into the brush below. We mulch the dead fir and the tangle under it on the same trip.
What the Job Covers
- Buckthorn and exotic honeysuckle thickets
- Alder and willow in wet ravines
- Overgrown backyards and side lots
- Dead balsam fir in the understory
- Saplings crowding good maple and birch
- Careful, lighter work near creek banks
Brush Clearing in Duluth: What to Know
Why grinding beats hauling brush in Duluth
The usual way to get rid of brush in town is to cut it, drag it and haul it. Resource Renew runs a yard waste compost site on Courtland Street off Interstate 35, and it does take brush. It is open only part of the year, from spring until just before Thanksgiving. Each load means another trip with a trailer. For a few branches, that works. For a backyard full of buckthorn, it eats up weekends.
Forestry mulching skips all of it. The brush goes into the head standing and comes out as a mat of chips. That mat shades the soil, holds the hillside in a hard rain and rots down over time. You never fill a trailer. Our guide on what to do with brush compares the other options.
What your yard looks like when we pull out
You get open ground you can walk across, covered in shredded wood. The maple, birch, pine and cedar you flagged are still standing, with their trunks clear of brush. Sight lines come back. You can see the creek, the ledge rock, the neighbor's fence and your own back corner again.
Brush stubs sit low under the mulch, not as a field of sharp stems. Some roots will sprout next season, and buckthorn is one of the worst for it. A mower, a hand cutter or a light second pass keeps it down. Each round is smaller than the last. The buckthorn removal guide covers follow up in more detail.
Brush jobs across the Duluth area
We take brush work on city lots from the east side to the west end, and on acreage just outside town. Duluth Heights and Bayview Heights sit right against Hermantown, and lots there often carry a back half of alder and willow. North of the city, cabins and hobby farms battle hazel, balsam and popple creeping into their clearings. Our Duluth page covers the wider forestry mulching picture. This page is only about the brush.
Rules near creeks and wetlands
Creek banks, wetlands and the Lake Superior shore all come with rules. Inside city limits, the City of Duluth planning office is the place to ask. For anything at the water's edge, the Minnesota DNR may have a say as well. Get your answer before we cut, and we clear to what they allow.
Brush Clearing On Real Jobs
Every photo here is from a CJ Forestry Mulching job. See more of our work. Or read about our full brush & underbrush service.
Duluth Brush Clearing Questions
Not seeing yours? Call or text (218) 461-7376 and ask Calvin, or read the common questions.
How do I get rid of buckthorn in my Duluth yard for good?
Grind the standing shrubs first, then stay after the sprouts. Mulching takes the thicket down in one visit and leaves no branches lying around to drop seed. The roots will push up new shoots. Cut them, pull the small ones, or have us make another pass. Over a few seasons the patch gives up.
What is the fastest way to clear a brushy backyard in Duluth?
Use one machine that cuts and disposes in the same motion. Hand crews cut, stack and haul, and each step eats its own day. A mulching head turns standing brush into chips as it moves. Access, slope, stem density and the number of trees you are keeping all change the pace.
How much does brush removal cost in Duluth?
It depends on the yard, so we give a number after Calvin sees it. Cost moves with how thick the brush is, how big the stems run, how steep and rocky the lot is, and how hard it is to get the machine in. The estimate is free. Call or text (218) 461-7376.
Can you clear brush next to a trout stream in Duluth?
Often, once the city or the DNR has told you what is allowed. Brush that holds a bank usually should stay. We can open the yard above it and leave a strip of growth along the water. Calvin flags that edge with you before any work begins.
Is winter a good time to clear brush in a Duluth backyard?
It is a good time, especially on soft ground. Frozen soil carries the machine, and with the leaves off it is easy to see what to keep. We need a plowed spot to unload the trailer. Snow can hide small trees you want saved, so we flag those first.
Duluth & St. Louis County
We cover Duluth and the communities around it, including:
Somewhere else? See our full service area or call (218) 461-7376.
Lot Clearing in Duluth
Home sites, cabins and yards cleared and ready for the next step.
See the Duluth pageTown pageAll Services in Duluth
Everything we clear in Duluth and St. Louis County.
Duluth overviewServiceBrush & Underbrush
Thick understory taken out so you can walk, see and use your woods again.
The full serviceBrush Clearing in other towns
Towns near Duluth
Simple From First Call to Last Pass
Reach Out
Call, text or send the form and tell us where the land is and what you want done.
Walk the Land
We look at the ground, the growth and what you want to keep.
Get an Estimate
You get a straight number and a plan for the work.
We Mulch It
The machine rolls in and your land opens up.
Need Brush Clearing in Duluth?
Calvin walks the land with you before you get an estimate.