If you own wooded property in southwestern Virginia, you already know the frustration. You call a land clearing contractor, mention that your hillside is steep — and you hear “we can’t work on it.” The slope that makes up half your property is exactly the half no one will touch. Fast Forward Forestry built our operation specifically to solve this problem.
The Problem: Most Contractors Cannot Work on Steep Terrain
Conventional forestry mulching equipment is typically rated for slopes between 25 and 35 degrees. That covers flat fields and mild slopes. It does not cover the terrain that makes up the majority of wooded residential lots and rural acreage in the New River Valley and Blue Ridge region. Montgomery County, Floyd County, Giles County, and surrounding areas are not flat — the terrain is defined by ridgelines, steep wooded hillsides, and slope grades that routinely exceed 40-45 degrees on otherwise manageable properties.
The result: the flat portions of a property can get cleared. The steep portions — sometimes the majority of the wooded land — go uncleared year after year, growing denser with invasive species while the owner waits for a contractor who can actually do the job.
What the RCU-55 Is
The RCU-55 is a purpose-built tracked forestry mulching machine engineered specifically for steep slope terrain. Unlike conventional forestry mulchers adapted from standard construction equipment, the RCU-55 was designed from the ground up for the grades that defeat other machines.
It operates safely and efficiently on slopes up to 55 degrees — a grade so steep that most people would struggle to walk up it, let alone operate heavy equipment. The machine’s low center of gravity, specialized track system, and hydraulic stability controls allow it to work on terrain that would overturn conventional equipment. On a 45-degree hillside, the RCU-55 mulches as effectively as it does on flat ground.
The mulch stays on site protecting the slope from erosion while it breaks down. On steep terrain, that soil protection is critical — stripped hillsides in Virginia’s rainfall climate erode fast, and the mulch layer prevents that damage entirely.
What We Can Do on Steep Slopes That Others Cannot
- Clear wooded hillsides growing denser while waiting for someone equipped to handle them
- Manage invasive species — multiflora rose, autumn olive, Japanese honeysuckle — establishing unchecked on slopes no one else will touch
- Improve properties where only the flat portions could previously be developed or maintained
- Eliminate safety risks from overgrown slopes adjacent to structures and driveways
Serving Southwestern Virginia
Fast Forward Forestry serves Montgomery County, Floyd County, Roanoke County, Giles County, and Pulaski County. If you have steep slope terrain that other contractors have passed on, we are the call to make. ffwdforestry.com/get-a-quote or call (540) 385-4265.
