Small Acres Habitat and Forestry

09/04/2026

Small Acres Update

We are doing well.

Financially, Small Acres is sustainable, and it appears there is a real need for the services we offer. The best part is that I enjoy it.

SA isn’t about the money. It’s about working with friends and like-minded landowners who want to make their property better.

Right now, we have about 3–4 weeks of projects scheduled, and RPM Landscape is picking up too.

Here’s some of what’s coming.

Small Woodland Restoration
We’re working with RPM and our favorite tree company on this one. We’ll reduce the canopy, open up the lower woodland, treat invasives, and add a Roundstone native seed mix. We’re also discussing prescribed fire versus manual duff removal.

4-Acre Kudzu Project – Jasper
We’ll trace the vines back to the crowns and remove them while minimizing soil disturbance. We’ll also tackle stiltgrass, privet, and invasive pears.

Bama Savanna
Thursday and Friday we’re headed to Alabama to build a habitat viewing deck at one of my favorite properties. We’ll be back later to help with a couple miles of fencing.

Another Kudzu Project – Jasper
About 3 more acres of kudzu along with some open woodland restoration.

Plenty more to come.

I’m having fun. I love making land and habitat better. Our clients are the best, and I get to work with my friends.

That’s what Small Acres is about.

— Small Acres Habitat & Forestry — Landowner First.

09/04/2026

Small Acres Update

We are doing well.

Financially, Small Acres is sustainable, and it appears there is a real need for the services we offer. The best part is that I enjoy it.

SA isn’t about the money. It’s about working with friends and like-minded landowners who want to make their property better.

Right now, we have about 3–4 weeks of projects scheduled, and RPM Landscape is picking up too.

Here’s some of what’s coming.

Small Woodland Restoration
RPM is replacing the retaining wall, and our favorite tree company will remove some of the larger trees around the home and fences. The orange-marked trees are staying. The rest are going.

The upper yard is a true upland area with a pretty cool shortleaf pine. We’ll reduce the canopy to bring in more sunlight. The lower yard will be thinned into an open woodland. We’ll treat stiltgrass and other invasives and are discussing prescribed fire versus manual duff removal. A Roundstone native seed mix will be added when we’re finished.

4-Acre Kudzu Project – Jasper
We sold this one too. Soil disturbance will be kept to a minimum by tracing the vines back to the crowns and removing them carefully. We’ll use an excavator with a hydraulic thumb in the open areas and my smaller equipment and tree puller in the woods.

We’ll also treat stiltgrass and remove privet and invasive pears by the roots. The invasive material will go into one large burn pile without taking the topsoil with it.

Bama Savanna
Thursday and Friday we’ll be in Alabama building a habitat viewing deck. The Bama Savanna is one of my favorite places to be. We’ll return later to help with a couple miles of fencing.

Another Kudzu Project – Jasper
We also sold another kudzu removal project of about 3 acres. This property has a good amount of open woodland restoration to do as well.

Plenty more to come.

I’m having fun. I love making land and habitat better. Our clients are the best, and I get to work with my friends.

That’s what Small Acres is about.

— Small Acres Habitat & Forestry — Landowner First.

09/03/2026

Managing Water on Mountain Roads

Our firebreaks and roads were getting pretty bad, so I added water tables and turnouts to help divert the water.

This is especially important in the mountains. Water running straight downhill can do a lot of damage in a hurry.

One area didn’t have anywhere to put a turnout, which made things a little more challenging. There’s also a lot of natural rock on these hills. It can be tempting to remove the rock when repairing a washed-out area, but that can actually be counterproductive. The rock helps stabilize the soil. Sometimes it’s better to work with what’s already there instead of disturbing more ground.

The new SK1750 continues to impress me. It’s such a diverse machine that we can use it for almost every part of our land improvement work.

Not just forestry. It’s about taking care of the whole property.

— Small Acres Habitat & Forestry — Landowner First.

09/01/2026

Open woodland restoration a few weeks ago. Opening up the canopy.

Open the canopy by 40% manually. Open it an additional 20% with th...

08/30/2026

Oak, Hickory, and Maple. Logs are all roughly 8' long. Wood was cut a few months ago. I didn't want it all to just rot in the woods. The wood is easily accessible. I prefer one person to get it all. If you live up on Look Out mnt and heat your home or shop with wood. Send me a message.

08/28/2026

NW GA. This post is not to trash others or start a war. This video is from today on Look Out Mnt. My business RPM Landscape and Pavers acted as the general contractor on this small home build. This stick build home is one of a kind. The layout is practical for living. Not just a rental. Notice the view is open, but some large trees still remain. We did the site work, layout, and managed the entire build. The double lot was so overgrown that nothing was growing below the canopy above. We carefully placed the driveway, home, and protected the beautiful hardwoods. We even used silt fence to prevent erosion from the disturbed foundation site. The nieghbors went crazy when we thinned and improved the second lot. We returned today free of charge to remove strategically placed deer beds. We cleaned up slash along the ROW. We took the piles along the property lines and reduced the height. Then we trimmed the piles to improve aesthetics. Lastly, since we can't have deer beds. We took all the Oak, Hickory, and Maple logs and stacked them near the gravel drive. There are still folks in Chattooga that heat with wood. There is enough hardwood to heat a home for the entire winter that is ready to be donated. This is what responsible and eco friendly site development looks like. After all of our efforts and anguish from nieghbors. At the end of this video, you can see several lots cleared in the same development. The top of the mountain all the way down to the cliff is scraped to red clay. No erosion control or ground cover. The native seed and bud bank is gone. Yet no one cares about that. It makes me really sad that folks are so ignorant that stripping the land is somehow more acceptable than attempting to make it better. We can have homes and still conserve the land around them. Tiny homes on stripped bare lots that are eroding is not good for anyone. The tiny homes are not the problem. The disregard for our Chattooga County habitat, water, trees, and wildlife is the problem. It gets worse everyday. It is not ok.

08/26/2026

What a difference at this property on Lookout Mtn.

This part of the project wasn't really about habitat. It was about aesthetics.

The house was almost completely hidden from the drive. We opened up the woods enough to bring the house back into view while still keeping it looking and feeling like a wooded property.

There's plenty more thinning to do, but this was a good start.

Sometimes the goal isn't to change the woods. It's just to make the woods work better with the home.

— Small Acres Habitat & Forestry — Landowner First.

08/23/2026

What could you use that land for?

What cool native species could be hiding in the soil below?

What wildlife would show up to enjoy the land?

Would your kids still sell the family land if it was not solid kudzu?

Would your land be more valuable if it were usable?

Kudzu came to America from Asia in the 19th century. It is a deciduous, woody, perennial from the Pea family. The pea pod seeds are viable and do germinate in new areas. Most of it spreads from tuber type roots that crawl across and cover shrubs, trees, and everything. The shade prevents and displaces native species from growing. Nothing competes with it. The roots can go as deep as 6'. The best way to eradicate it, is to remove the crown and upper portions of the roots. The service roots below the grade do not reproduce. Only the crown. Stuff grows everywhere and we need to get it out. Reclaim your land! Small Acres Habitat and Forestry

08/23/2026

The last few days I have met with five landowners. So many fun and cool projects ahead. I also visited a few properties that we had done work on previously. This reel says it all. The canopy of the untouched property next door. Then the canopy of the stand we thinned a few months ago. This would be a restoration to open woodlands on Look Out Mnt.

08/17/2026

Firebreaks and access trails just over the GA line from yall. Thanks for the add! This video is longer. If you don't own land or are interested in land improvements. Skip this one over. Trails and Firebreaks are vital in our mountains. Wildfire prevention is becoming really important. Not to mention that mountain trails tend to erode away. Low impact equipment and thoughtful layout can minimize wash. We can help with most of your land improvement needs. Thanks yall!