Brush shredding and pasture clearing
400 acresshredded and smoothed.
Pasture taken back from brush and weeds: shredded, smoothed and opened up, from a few acres to whole places. One Highlander job covered 400 acres shredded and smoothed, along with a front gate and a tank.
- Pasture shredding
- Big acreage
- Smoothed after
- 400Acres shredded and smoothed on one Highlander job, plus a front gate and a tank
- Jul 15TPWD advises holding mowing and shredding until after this date for fawns and nesting birdsSource
- 10%Of a wildlife plan area (or 10 acres, if smaller) to treat each year under brush managementSource
- FreeEstimates. A name and a phone number to start
Brush Shredding & Pasture Clearing
Get the pasture
back in use.
Shredding is the heavy mowing of pasture, weeds and small brush. It knocks the growth down, chops it up and leaves it on the ground, which opens a field back up for grazing, hay or simply seeing your land again.
Clearing and shredding often go together. Bigger brush and cedar come out first, then the pasture is shredded and the rough spots are smoothed so you can drive it and keep it up.
Size is not a problem. A post on our Facebook page shows 400 acres shredded and smoothed on one place, along with a front gate and a tank. Smaller pastures, homesites and lanes are welcome too.
What the work covers
What shredding and pasture clearing covers
Not sure if we handle it? Call and ask.
Pasture shredding
Weeds, small brush and rank growth cut down and chopped across open pasture.
Overgrown fields
Fields that have gone to brush opened back up for grazing or hay.
Smoothing
Rough ground, old ruts and leftover piles smoothed so the place can be driven and kept up.
Lanes and paths
Paths opened through brush to reach gates, tanks and back pastures.
Clearing first, where needed
Cedar and bigger brush taken out before the shredder. See cedar and brush clearing.
The rest of the place
Gates, roads and tanks handled by the same outfit while we are there.
How it is done
How a shredding job runs
- 01
Walk the pastures
Acreage, brush size, rock, fences, wet spots and anything to steer around.
- 02
Pick the timing
Nesting season and how fast things are growing decide the best window.
- 03
Clear, then shred
Bigger brush comes out first where needed, then the pasture is shredded.
- 04
Smooth and finish
Rough ground and old piles smoothed, so the place is ready to graze, mow or build on.
Shredding or clearing: which one?
Shredding works on growth a heavy mower can handle: weeds, grass gone rank and small brush. Clearing is for trees and thick brush, which have to come out and be piled, burned or hauled.
Many places need both: cedar and big brush cleared first, then the whole pasture shredded and smoothed. Tell us what is out there and we will tell you which one fits. See land clearing for the bigger work.
Timing for wildlife
If deer and ground-nesting birds use your pastures, timing matters. TPWD's Edwards Plateau recommendations say to delay mowing and shredding until after July 15 to avoid killing fawns and ground-nesting birds (TPWD Appendix E).
Leaving strips of cover uncut helps too. Ask us to lay the shredding out around the cover you want kept.
Shredding and a wildlife plan
Brush management sits under habitat control in TPWD's wildlife management guidelines. For the Edwards Plateau it should "annually affect a minimum of 10% of the total area designated in the plan, or a minimum of 10 acres annually, whichever is smaller" (TPWD guidelines).
Whether your shredding counts toward a plan is decided by the plan itself and by your county appraisal district, not by us. The valuation guide explains how it works.
On the job
Pasture shredding, up close
Photos from Highlander Construction jobs. See more in recent work.
Questions
Pasture shredding questions
What is the difference between shredding and land clearing?
Shredding cuts down weeds, grass and small brush and leaves it chopped on the ground. Land clearing takes out trees and heavy brush, which are then piled and burned, or hauled. Many places get both.
Can you shred big acreage?
Yes. One job we shared covered 400 acres shredded and smoothed, along with a front gate and a tank.
When should pasture be shredded?
It depends on what you are after. Where wildlife is a concern, TPWD advises waiting until after July 15 for fawns and nesting birds. We work out timing with you.
Do you smooth the ground after?
Yes. Rough ground, old ruts and leftover piles are smoothed so you can drive and keep up the pasture.
Can you do the gate, road and tank while you are there?
Yes. Gates, ranch roads and stock tanks are part of the same work. Not sure if we handle it? Call and ask.
Where we do it
Towns and counties
Highlander Construction is based in Helotes and serves these areas. Not listed? Call and ask.
Related services
Land Clearing
Brush and cedar cleared, the trees worth keeping left standing, and the debris burned when allowed, stacked or hauled off.
See the service Related serviceCedar & Brush Clearing
Ashe juniper and mixed brush thinned for grass, wildlife and access, with the oaks and good cover left standing.
See the service Related serviceRanch Roads
Ranch roads and long drives cut and graded, surfaced with caliche or base, with the water turned off the road.
See the serviceGuides
Land work and your wildlife or ag valuation.
How brush management and ponds fit TPWD's wildlife practices, and who actually decides.
Read the guide
Selective cedar clearing in the Hill Country.
What TPWD and AgriLife say to keep, when to clear, the warbler question and the water claims to ignore.
Read the guide
EQIP cost-share for brush, ponds and roads.
How EQIP works, the practice codes that match land work, and where a contractor fits in.
Read the guide
Free estimates
Need pasture shredding?
Call (830) 328-3684 or send a few details. Estimates are free.