Masticating
Masticating, also called forestry mulching, uses a grinding head on a track loader to shred brush and small trees into mulch where they stand. Battle Born Tree Service runs a masticating head on its Bobcat T870 for fuel reduction and land clearing in Northern Nevada.
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When a property is too thick to mow and too big to clear by hand, mastication is the tool. One machine and one operator turn a wall of brush into open ground with a layer of chips on it, and nothing has to be piled, burned or trucked away.
At a glance
- Masticating head on our 2014 Bobcat T870 track loader
- Brush, saplings and small trees ground in place
- No burn piles and little or no hauling
- Used for fuel breaks, defensible space and lot clearing
- Planned with a certified arborist
- Free estimate
How does mastication work?
The head is a spinning drum with teeth. The operator lowers it onto a shrub or walks it down a small tree from the top, and the plant comes out the bottom as chunks and shreds of wood. The machine moves through the stand leaving a mat of mulch behind it and the marked trees untouched.
Because the material never leaves the site, the job is quick and the ground stays covered. That cover helps hold soil on slopes and slows the weeds that follow bare-dirt clearing.
What is mastication used for?
Mastication is used for fuel breaks, the outer defensible space zone on large lots, thinning thickets of pinyon, juniper and brush, opening land for fencing, access or building, and cleaning up slash. The list below gives each use.
- Fuel breaks along property lines, roads and ridges
- The outer defensible space zone on large lots, 30 to 100 feet from the house and beyond
- Thinning thickets of small pinyon, juniper and brush
- Opening overgrown land for fencing, access or building
- Cleaning up slash after tree removal or logging
For lighter fuels on open flats, brush mowing is usually faster. For a full clear with stumps out, see lot clearing.
Mastication compared with the other methods
| Method | What happens to the material | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Masticating | Ground in place, left as mulch | Dense brush and small trees over large areas |
| Brush mowing | Cut to stubble and fine clippings | Sagebrush, weeds and grass on open ground |
| Hand cutting and chipping | Chipped and hauled or spread | Near houses, on steep ground, around trees to keep |
| Tree removal | Logs hauled, brush chipped | Trees too large for the head |
Most fire mitigation jobs use more than one. The guide mastication vs brush mowing vs hand clearing has the detail.
Is the mulch a fire problem?
It changes the fuel; it does not delete it. Standing brush that would carry flames several feet high becomes a low layer on the ground. That is a real gain, but wood mulch can still smolder, so where it sits matters.
The University of Nevada, Reno Extension's Living With Fire guide says to remove wood mulch from the first 5 feet around a home, and between 5 and 30 feet to use mulch only in separate patches surrounded by something that will not burn. Masticated material belongs out in the reduced fuel zone and beyond, and the area near the house is handled by hand. See wood chips: uses and limits in a fire-prone yard.
Where does mastication make sense in our area?
On the larger lots at the edge of the wildland. The USDA Forest Service ranks wildfire risk to homes in Virginia City higher than 99.4% of US communities, Lemmon Valley 99.2% and Verdi 98.8%, and those are places where homes back onto brush and pinyon-juniper.
In the Tahoe Basin, check before any machine work. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency reviews any work on live vegetation in stream environment zones and the backshore, and live trees over 14 inches in diameter need a permit. The local fire protection district is the place to start for defensible space there.
Sources
- University of Nevada, Reno Extension: Living With Fire Defensible Space Guide (SP-23-07) (read October 1, 2026)
- USDA Forest Service: Wildfire Risk to Communities, data download of April 15, 2026 (read October 1, 2026)
- Tahoe Regional Planning Agency: Trees and Defensible Space (read October 1, 2026)
What is included
- A site walk to mark boundaries, keep-trees and obstacles
- Mastication of brush and small trees in the agreed area
- Larger trees removed by the tree crew if needed
- Mulch left spread on the ground
Equipment we bring
- 2014 Bobcat T870 track loader
- Masticating head
- Chipper for hand-cut material
Talk to the office
| Monday to Friday | 8:30 am - 5:00 pm |
|---|---|
| Saturday and Sunday | Office closed, phones answered |
Phones answered seven days a week. 24-hour emergency service.
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Masticating questions
Still have a question? Call 775.232.8243. Phones are answered seven days a week.
How big a tree can the masticator handle?
It is meant for brush, saplings and small trees. Anything larger is cut by the tree crew, and the arborist sorts which is which on the site walk.
Do you haul the mulch away?
Normally it stays, spread where it falls. That is the point of the method. If you need bare ground, lot clearing with haul-off is the better fit.
Is masticating the same as brush mowing?
They overlap. Masticating is the heavier end, for woody material that a mower would not chew through.
Can you masticate on a slope?
A tracked loader works on moderate slopes. Steep ground is done by hand. We look at it before quoting.
Free estimates
Get a free, detailed estimate
A certified arborist looks at the job before any work starts. Tell us what you have and our office will set up a time.
- 4.8 out of 5 on Google from 44 reviews (October 17, 2026)
- Best of Carson City, Best Tree Service, first place 2018 through 2025 (Nevada Appeal readers' poll)
- ISA Certified Arborist WE-11728A on staff
- BBB accredited since 2015, A+ rating
- Carson City based since October 2013
Phones answered seven days a week. 24-hour emergency service.