Montgomery County, Virginia sits in the heart of the New River Valley, tucked into rolling terrain where the Blue Ridge gives way to the Appalachian plateau. It is a county of working farms, wooded ridgelines, and rural acreage — and almost every property here has at least some slope. For landowners trying to clear brush or prepare a site for construction, that terrain creates real challenges. Forestry mulching is one solution that genuinely works here.
What Is Forestry Mulching?
Forestry mulching is a single-machine land clearing method that grinds trees, stumps, brush, and heavy vegetation in place, leaving a layer of wood chip mulch on site. The contrast with traditional clearing is significant — conventional methods involve cutting, piling, burning or hauling in multiple steps that leave the ground stripped and vulnerable. Forestry mulching does the job in a single pass, keeps mulch on the ground, and avoids burn permits. In Virginia, burn permits are required for open burning from February 15 through April 30. Forestry mulching eliminates that concern entirely.
Why Forestry Mulching Works Especially Well in Southwestern Virginia
Slope protection. When you clear land on a hillside by bulldozing, you expose bare mineral soil that erodes rapidly. Forestry mulching leaves the soil structure intact and covers it with a protective mulch layer — on the sloped properties that make up most of Montgomery County, that erosion protection is essential.
Invasive species. Mountain laurel, multiflora rose, autumn olive, and tree-of-heaven are all common throughout the New River Valley. Forestry mulching mechanically removes above-ground growth across large areas efficiently — far more practical than hand-cutting for established invasive infestations.
The Steep Slope Challenge and How We Solve It
Most Montgomery County landowners run into the same problem when calling forestry mulching contractors: a lot of them cannot work on steep slopes. Standard equipment is typically rated for slopes up to 30-35 degrees. If your property has significant hillside terrain — which describes most wooded acreage in this county — you have likely already heard “we cannot do that slope” from at least one contractor.
Fast Forward Forestry operates the RCU-55, a specialized tracked forestry mulching machine engineered specifically for steep slope work. The RCU-55 handles slopes up to 55 degrees safely and efficiently — far beyond what standard equipment can access. For Montgomery County property owners with hillside brush or steep lots that other contractors have turned down, the RCU-55 makes the job possible.
Serving Montgomery County, Virginia
Fast Forward Forestry is based in Riner, VA — right in Montgomery County’s backyard. We hold a 5.0-star rating across 16 Google reviews. Visit ffwdforestry.com/get-a-quote or call (540) 385-4265 for a free estimate.
