When a homeowner in western Volusia County reached out to us about their five-acre property, the story was one we hear regularly. They had purchased the land and built their home several years earlier, drawn by the privacy and the oak canopy. But over time, the property had become something they endured rather than enjoyed.
This is the story of that project — what the property looked like before, what we did, and what it looks like today.
The Starting Point
The property sat in a typical Central Florida landscape: a mix of planted slash pines, naturally regenerated live oaks and laurel oaks, and an understory that had not been managed in over 20 years. When we first walked the site, here is what we found.
The front two acres around the home had scattered mature oaks and pines, but the space between them was filled with a nearly impenetrable layer of wax myrtle, Brazilian pepper, Carolina laurel cherry, and wild grapevine. The owners could not walk from their back door to the rear fence line without a machete. Their children did not play in the yard because the vegetation started just 30 feet from the house.
The back three acres were worse. The previous owner had let the land go entirely, and a mix of slash pine, laurel oak, and invasive species had created a closed canopy with almost no ground-level vegetation. Visibility was about 15 feet in any direction. There were several large dead pines leaning toward the property line, and a significant population of Brazilian pepper had established itself along the western boundary.
The homeowner’s goals were straightforward:
- Make the property usable — they wanted to be able to walk, ride bikes, and let their kids explore
- Reduce wildfire risk — the local fire department had flagged the neighborhood for high fuel loads after a wildfire scare the previous year
- Preserve the mature trees — they loved their large oaks and tall pines and did not want a clear-cut
- Improve aesthetics — they wanted their property to look managed and intentional, not abandoned
The Plan
After walking the property together, we developed a phased approach. This was not a “knock everything down” project. The value of this property was in its mature tree canopy — we just needed to clean up everything underneath it.
Phase 1: Selective Midstory Mulching
The primary operation was removing the midstory vegetation — everything between roughly 2 and 15 feet tall that was not a desirable tree. This included all the wax myrtle, Brazilian pepper, Carolina laurel cherry, and competing hardwood saplings that were choking out the property.
We used a tracked skid steer with a forestry mulching head, which allowed us to work selectively around the mature oaks and pines without damaging them. The operator could position the machine within a few feet of a mature tree trunk and mulch everything around it, leaving the desirable tree untouched.
The mulched material was ground into chips and left on the ground. Unlike traditional clearing that generates massive brush piles requiring burning or hauling, forestry mulching processes everything in place. The chips form a natural mulch layer that suppresses regrowth, retains moisture, and decomposes over one to two seasons.
Phase 2: Hazard Tree Removal
We identified six dead or severely declining pines that posed a risk to the home, the fence line, or neighboring properties. These were felled directionally and mulched in place. The stumps were ground to near-grade level so they would not be tripping hazards or eyesores.
Phase 3: Invasive Species Treatment
The Brazilian pepper was extensive along the western boundary. While the mulching machine removed all the above-ground growth, Brazilian pepper is notorious for resprouting aggressively from root systems. We coordinated with a licensed applicator to do a targeted herbicide treatment on the cut stumps immediately after mulching, which dramatically reduces the regrowth rate.
This follow-up step is important. Without it, the Brazilian pepper would have been back to its original density within two years. With treatment, the resprout rate drops to roughly 10 to 15 percent, which can be managed with spot treatments during future maintenance visits.
Phase 4: Perimeter and Access
We mulched a clean perimeter trail along the entire property boundary, giving the owners a walking and riding path that also serves as a basic firebreak. We also created a wider cleared area around the home — roughly 50 feet of reduced vegetation in all directions — which is the minimum defensible space recommendation for wildfire risk in Florida.
The Timeline
The entire project was completed in three working days. Here is how it broke down:
- Day 1: Front two acres — selective midstory removal around the home, hazard tree removal, defensible space creation
- Day 2: Back three acres — midstory removal, invasive species mulching, perimeter trail
- Day 3: Detail work, herbicide treatment coordination, final walkthrough with the owners
Three days. That is one of the most compelling aspects of forestry mulching — the speed at which it transforms a property. Traditional clearing methods using chainsaws, skidders, and burn piles would have taken two to three weeks for the same result, with significantly more disruption and mess.
The Results
The visual transformation was dramatic. The owners described it as “like a completely different property.”
Immediate Changes
- Visibility went from 15 feet to 150 feet or more through the trees
- Usable space increased from roughly half an acre around the home to the full five acres
- Aesthetic improvement was immediate — the property looked like a managed park rather than an overgrown lot
- Wildlife sightings increased within weeks as deer, turkeys, and other animals began using the newly opened understory
Within Six Months
- The mulched material had begun to decompose and settle, creating a natural ground cover
- Native grasses and forbs had begun to emerge in areas that had been shaded for years
- The few Brazilian pepper resprouts that appeared were spot-treated during a scheduled follow-up visit
- The homeowners had established a small garden in an area that had previously been impenetrable brush
One Year Later
- The property had developed a lush, diverse understory of native groundcover beneath the preserved oak and pine canopy
- The owners reported spending significantly more time outdoors on their property
- A neighbor had hired us for a similar project after seeing the transformation
- The homeowners had their property reappraised and reported a meaningful increase in assessed value
Costs and Value
For a project of this scope — five acres of selective forestry mulching with hazard tree removal and invasive species treatment — the total cost was in the range of $12,000 to $18,000. The exact figure depends on vegetation density, equipment access, and the extent of invasive species work.
To put that in perspective, the homeowners estimated they had been quoted over $30,000 for traditional clearing using chainsaws and a burn permit, and that approach would have required multiple weeks and resulted in large burn piles that took months to process.
The value added to the property — both in appraised value and in quality of life — far exceeded the investment. This is a property the owners now actively enjoy rather than apologize for.
Lessons From This Project
Several takeaways from this project apply to many residential properties in Central Florida:
Selective beats wholesale. The value of this property was in its mature tree canopy. Removing everything would have destroyed the very features that made the land desirable. Selective mulching preserved those assets while eliminating the problems underneath them.
Invasive species require follow-up. Mulching alone does not solve a Brazilian pepper problem. Budget for herbicide treatment as part of any project that involves invasive species, or you will be mulching the same areas again in two years.
Defensible space matters. The wildfire risk reduction alone justified a significant portion of the project cost. In Central Florida’s fire-prone landscape, maintaining defensible space around structures is not just good practice — it is increasingly expected by insurance providers and local fire officials.
Speed is a real advantage. Three days from start to finish, with no burn piles, no hauling, and no weeks of chainsaw noise. For residential properties where daily life continues during the work, the efficiency of forestry mulching is a major benefit.
If your Central Florida property sounds anything like this one — mature trees you love, with an understory that has gotten away from you — this kind of transformation is very achievable. TreeShop handles residential mulching projects throughout Volusia County and surrounding areas, and the process starts with a simple site walk to understand your property and your goals.