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Forestry Mulching

One machine grinds the brush, saplings and undergrowth into mulch and leaves it on the ground. No burn pile, no hauling, no ruined ground.

Forestry mulching is the cleanest way to take back overgrown ground. A skid steer carrying a mulching head drives over the brush and grinds it where it stands. What used to be a wall of buckthorn, box elder and thorny scrub comes out as a layer of chip on the forest floor. There is nothing to pile, nothing to burn, nothing to load into a truck and haul off your property, and no burn permit to chase.

That mulch layer is not waste. It holds the soil through a Wisconsin spring, it keeps the ground from washing on a slope, and it breaks down back into the dirt over a couple of seasons. On the heavy clay we work in around Manitowoc and Kewaunee counties, that matters more than it does in most of the state — wet clay is easy to tear up with a dozer and a grapple, and mulching keeps the machine on top of the ground instead of in it.

Justin runs the machine himself, so the person who walks the property with you is the person cutting it. If you want a stand of oak left alone, an apple tree saved, or a line held six feet off a fence, you say it once to the man who is going to do it.

What’s included

Brush, saplings and undergrowth mulched in place — no burn pile, no hauling
Standing trees selectively left where you want them kept
Overgrown fence lines and field edges cut back and squared up
Trails, lanes and shooting lanes opened through standing timber
Building sites and driveway routes cleared to a working footprint
Winter frozen-ground work, when the machine leaves the least mark
A walk of the property with the owner before anything gets cut
2-year workmanship warranty on the work performed

Why J Schleis Services

J Schleis Services is Justin Schleis — one owner, one machine, and no crew to relay your instructions through. The person who walks the property with you is the person running the mulcher. That is the whole pitch, and on this kind of work it is worth more than it sounds: land clearing goes wrong when somebody cuts what you meant to keep.

We are fully insured (general liability, certificate on request) and the work carries a 2-year workmanship warranty. We are a new company — started in 2026 — and we would rather tell you that than have you find out. What we will not do is take a deposit for work the ground is not ready for, or quote you an acreage rate over the phone that turns out to be wrong once we see it.

Common questions

How big can the trees be?

The mulching head handles brush and saplings up to roughly six inches through comfortably, and larger stems come out one at a time depending on species and how thick the stand is. Anything genuinely big is better felled first — walk the property with us and we will tell you straight which parts of the job are mulching and which are not.

Will the brush grow back?

Some of it, yes. Mulching cuts the top off; it does not kill the root. Buckthorn, honeysuckle and box elder in particular will send up shoots. A mulched area usually needs a maintenance pass every few years to stay open, and we would rather you hear that from us now than find it out in year three.

What time of year is best?

Frozen ground is the best conditions we get. From roughly December through March the machine floats over the top and leaves almost no rut, which matters on the wet clay across Manitowoc, Kewaunee and Brown counties. We work year-round, but if your ground is soft and the job can wait for winter, we will tell you.

Do you cut oaks in the spring?

Not if we can avoid it. Wisconsin DNR guidance is to keep from wounding oaks between April 1 and July 15 in our part of the state, because that is when the beetles that spread oak wilt are moving and fresh cuts draw them in. If your job has oak in it, we schedule around that window or plan the work so the oaks are not touched.

How much ground can you do in a day?

It depends entirely on how thick it is. Light brush moves fast; a solid wall of mature buckthorn is slow. We would rather look at it and give you a real number than quote an acreage rate over the phone that turns out to be wrong for your property.

What does it cost?

We quote by the job after seeing it, not off a price list. Come-look-at-it estimates are free anywhere in the seven counties we serve.

Serving Northeast Wisconsin

Ready when you are.

Manitowoc, Two Rivers, Green Bay, Kiel, Chilton and Sturgeon Bay, Appleton, Sheboygan, Algoma, Brillion, Denmark and everywhere in between — across Manitowoc, Brown, Kewaunee, Calumet, Sheboygan, Door and Outagamie counties.

Call or Text (920) 362-1569 Get a Free Estimate

Mon–Fri 7–6 · Sat 8–2 · Owner-operated · Fully insured