Fence Row Clearing in Indiana: Why Fall Beats Spring
Fall is the best time for fence row clearing in Indiana. Once the crops are off, a machine can reach the field side of the row, the falling leaves show what is hidden in the brush, and the ground is usually still firm. Wait until spring and you are working around mud and a planted field.
Brush that looked like a thin green strip in July often turns out to be fifteen feet of honeysuckle, mulberry and volunteer trees leaning into the field. Here is why fall is the window, what the work looks like, and how to get ready for it.
Why is fall the best time for fence row clearing in Indiana?
You can get to it. With the crop out, a machine can work the field side of a fence row without running over anything you planted. That access goes away in spring.
You can see what is in there. As the leaves drop, old woven wire, steel posts, tile outlets, rock piles and property markers come into view. That makes the work safer and the finished line cleaner.
The ground is firm. Fall usually gives us dry, solid footing before the freeze-and-thaw mud of late winter. Firm ground means less rutting along your end rows.
The brush is not getting smaller. Every year you wait, the stems get thicker and the row gets wider. A row that is quick work this fall is a bigger, slower job in three years.
What does an overgrown fence row cost you?
Shade and roots. Trees on the field edge pull water and light away from your outside rows.
Equipment clearance. Limbs hanging into the field beat on mirrors, cabs and headers, and push you further off the edge every pass.
Tile trouble. Roots from willow, cottonwood and other water-loving trees go looking for drain tile.
Fence damage. Trees grow through wire and push posts over. Dead limbs drop on what is left.
How do we clear a fence row?
Most fence row and brush work is a job for forestry mulching. The mulcher is a tracked machine with a grinding head that takes brush and trees up to about 9 inches across and turns them into mulch right where they stand. For bigger stems, a tree shear attachment cuts trees up to about 12 inches.
What that means for you:
No brush piles to burn
Nothing to haul off
A layer of mulch left on the ground that holds soil and slows weeds
Roots left in place, so the bank or ditch edge stays put
One thing to tell us up front is whether there is old fence in the row. Wire and a mulching head do not get along. If we know it is there, we can plan around it or pull it first.
What should you do before fence row clearing starts?
Know your line. A fence row is often the property line. If you are not sure where it runs, check your survey or talk to your neighbor before anything gets cut.
Flag what matters. Mark tile outlets, wellheads, utility pedestals and any old fence you know about.
Pick your keepers. If there is a good oak or walnut you want left standing, mark it. We work around the trees you want.
Think about spring. Tell us if you are planning new fence, wider end rows or a lane, so the clearing fits the plan.
What else can be cleared in the fall?
The same fall window works for other brush removal jobs:
Field edges and back corners that have grown in
Ditch banks and waterway edges
Overgrown lots and building sites that need land clearing
Trails and lanes through the woods
Bush honeysuckle patches. Purdue Extension notes that by early November bush honeysuckle is one of the only understory shrubs still green, which makes it easy to see how much you have.
Fence row clearing FAQ
How big of a tree can you clear out of a fence row?
The forestry mulcher handles trees up to about 9 inches across. The tree shear attachment cuts trees up to about 12 inches.
What happens to the brush after it is cut?
It is mulched in place and left as a layer on the ground. There are no burn piles and nothing is hauled off.
Will the brush grow back?
Some species send up new shoots from the roots the next spring. We come back for regrowth follow-up to keep the row open.
How do I get a quote for fence row clearing?
Estimates are free, and we look at every job in person before quoting. The quote depends on how thick the growth is, how big the trees are, the ground conditions and how we get the machine in.
Get your fence row on the fall schedule
Ridgeline Corridor Services clears fence rows, brush and overgrown ground across Randolph County and the rest of our service area, including Winchester, Union City, Farmland, Lynn, Portland, Muncie and Richmond, and over the line into western Ohio.
Call or text (765) 305-5239, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., or request a free estimate. Tell us roughly how long the row is and what is growing in it, and we will take it from there.