A: There are a lot of variations that must be considered when clearing a piece of property. To give you an exact time is nearly impossible sight unseen. Therefore, we typically like to set up a site visit with the land owner and one of our Cedar Eater™ representatives. Some of the questions we typically ask are:

• What’s the terrain like?
• How dense is the vegetation?
• Are there many oaks?
• What trees do you want to save and what do you want to take out?
• How finely do you want the material mulched?

These are just a few of the questions that we will ask and they all play a role in how long it takes to clear an acre.

A:  The sweet scent of cedarwood fills the air as you enjoy exploring your property after having it cleared of cedar and underbrush, leaving mulch around trees and on hillsides. Cedar and brush mulch is excellent for the environment, and it brightens up the landscape. Mountain Cedar trees, also called ash juniper, are not native to Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Southern Missouri. The plant thrives in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 6-9. They grow about 30 feet tall in Central Texas. Although horticulturists considered them to be invasive weeds, cedars that spread in low forests and thickets are perfect for grinding, chopping, and shredding.

Removing cedar from woodland and forest areas helps other trees to survive. This is especially true during Texas droughts. Because of their thick and varied root systems, cedars don’t need much moisture, but they will still absorb about 100 gallons of water per day. That's water that neighboring trees need to survive. Oaks and other native trees and plants lose out when the rain falls — cedars are greedy! They grow in rocky soil, and their thick canopies keep water from hitting the ground when skies finally do open up. Tree removal can be a big job, but mulching fragrant cedar wood is a perfect way to protect the environment. Grinding and chopping cedar trees for mulch allows hardwood trees like oaks and maples to grow and spread. Native plants in Texas thrive when overly invasive species are thinned or eliminated. In Austin alone, there are 13.3 million cedar trees — the most of any kind.

A:  The reddish-brown shredded and chipped wood has a sweet-to-spicy aroma. It conserves water and prevents soil erosion and allows for grass regrowth if the mulch is not too thick. 

The biggest advantage of cedar mulch is that it takes a long time to decompose, so it won't rot as quickly as other kinds of wood chips and shreds. It's best used on slow-growing plants, trees, and shrubs but not in vegetable gardens. The wood adds much-needed nutrients to the soil. The color and scent of cedar discourage some insects from hanging out in the yard. It repels moths, carpet beetles, cockroaches, termites, and certain kinds of ants, for example. The scent also bugs mosquitos. In fact, cedar oil is a common ingredient for many mosquito repellants.

Removing cedar trees from your property sooner than later will keep them from becoming overbearing and tearing up the land. Mulching with cedar bark and wood chips puts the beauty back into your property after you’ve removed the beast.

A:  It’s called “cedar fever,” but this allergy doesn’t actually produce a fever. Cedar fever is an allergic reaction for some people who are sensitive to pollen from mountain cedar (Juniperus ashei) flowers that bloom in Central Texas. Those affected have the typical allergy symptoms of runny nose, itchy eyes, headaches, and sinus pressure. The symptoms are easily confused with the common cold.

A:  With the variations in density and terrain we can determine the type of equipment needed to best suit the clearing of your property.  Based on the combinations of equipment and resources the cost per acre will vary from job to job.

A: Yes we mulch piles old and new. When dealing with piles it is important to call and set up a site visit with one of our representatives. Piles are difficult to gauge as there are many things that need to be taken into account:

• Was the pile sheared?
• Was the pile dozed?
• Does the pile have large root balls?
• Are there rocks in the pile?
• Is there wire or metal debris in the pile?
• How large are the piles?
• Do they need to be pulled apart?

These are all questions that need to be answered as they help us decide what kind of equipment we need to mulch the piles efficiently.