Fence rows are where brush takes over first. Birds sit on the wire, drop seeds, and nobody can mow right up to the posts. Ten years later you've got a 20-foot-wide hedge of honeysuckle and multiflora rose with a fence buried somewhere inside it.
- Know the line and talk to the neighbor first.
- Decide if the fence stays. Keeping it and replacing it are different jobs.
- Watch for old wire. Buried barbed wire is the main hazard and the main slowdown.
- Keep it mowable after so it doesn't fill back in.
Before anything gets cut
Know where the line is
An old fence isn't always on the property line. If there's any question, get your survey out or have the corners located. Clearing your neighbor's side without asking is a bad way to start.
Talk to the neighbor
A fence row has two sides. If they want their side cleared too, you can split it and get the whole thing done in one trip. If not, we'll stay on your side.
Decide what happens to the fence
- Keeping the fence: we clear up to it and work carefully along it. Some hand work right at the wire may still be needed.
- Replacing it: it's often easier to pull the old wire first, then mulch the whole row clean so the new fence goes up fast.
The wire problem
Old barbed and woven wire gets swallowed by brush and trees over the years. A mulcher that catches wire wraps it up in the drum, which is dangerous and slow. Anything you know about old fences, even ones that "used to be there," helps us plan. On the walkthrough we'll look for posts, wire and anything else hiding in the row.
Clearing it
The mulcher grinds the honeysuckle, multiflora rose, saplings and brush down to a mulch layer. We can leave good trees along the row for shade or a windbreak, or take the row down completely. It's done in place, with no brush piles to burn and nothing to haul.
Keeping it clear
- Leave room to mow. A clear strip on your side of the fence lets you get a mower or brush hog in there.
- Recut the regrowth. Honeysuckle and rose resprout from the roots. A pass the next growing season keeps them from coming back. See why honeysuckle grows back.
- Get grass in. Grass on the strip makes it easy to keep up.
Need a fence row cleared?
We clear fence lines for homeowners, farms and big properties all over the tristate. See forestry mulching or our large acreage page, or give us a call.
Common questions
Can you clear a fence line without damaging the fence?
Usually, yes. We clear up to it and work carefully along it. Right against the wire, some hand work may still be needed. If the fence is being replaced, it's easier to pull the old wire first.
What's growing in my fence row?
Around here it's usually bush honeysuckle, multiflora rose, autumn olive and volunteer saplings. Birds sitting on the fence drop the seeds.
Do I need my neighbor's permission to clear a fence line?
You need to stay on your own property unless they agree. Know where the line is, and talk to them. Many neighbors are happy to split the job.
How do I keep a fence row from growing back?
Leave a strip you can mow, recut the regrowth the next season, and get grass established.
Get a free quote
Bulk Co is a forestry mulching and land clearing contractor based in Harrison, Ohio, serving properties within 50 miles of Greater Cincinnati. Tell us what you've got and we'll come walk it.