Small Acres Habitat and Forestry

07/04/2026

Just a quick backyard cleanup for my neighbor.

I usually try not to disturb the soil any more than I have to, but this one was a little different. The backyard had piles of trash, along with bamboo, Japanese stiltgrass, privet, and a whole lot of English ivy.

I didn't spend time cleaning the trees or fence lines. But, to get the ivy out by the roots, the soil has to be disturbed. The grapple made quick work of the trash and helped rake out the ivy. The forestry mulcher took care of the rest, and the brush cutter was used for a little final cleanup.

Not bad for about 3 hours of machine time.

07/04/2026

Happy 4th of July!

Today we celebrate 250 years of freedom in the greatest country on earth.

I've been given more second chances than I deserve. The freedom to work hard, worship, own a little land, raise my family, and spend my days in the woods is something I'll never take for granted.

I'm thankful for every man and woman who has worn our nation's uniform and for the sacrifices that have kept America free for 250 years.

I hope you take some down time to spend today with family, good friends, and maybe around a grill or a campfire.

Happy Independence Day, and may God continue to bless America.

07/02/2026

The TMC Cancela 24" Forestry Mulcher on my Ditch Witch SK900 is a good attachment for me and my work with Small Acres, it fits the expectations and objectives just right.

It is NOT designed to handle large diameter trees or large piles of slash and debris. Spending money on this attachment with that in mind, will leave you disappointed for sure.

I've found where it really shines is on smaller trees and brush up to about 3 inches. It'll also grind stumps and trunks up to around 6 inches right down to the ground.

I use it to mulch tree tops, grind small stumps, clean up around trees and fence lines, knock back English ivy, and to touch up areas after the bigger work is done.

I did find two really important uses for it. First, to easily create firebreaks and trails. It gets rid of the stumps and roots sticking up and exposes the top layer of mineral soil where I need it. Second, to mulch leaf piles and small sticks where burning isn't an option. In smoke sensitive areas or when burning is not an option, blow the leaves into a pile, run the mulcher over them, and let them turn back into compost.

It's another tool that makes our habitat work a little easier.

07/02/2026

Rosa Carolina

(Carolina Rose)

Native shrub in the rose family (Rosaceae)
1–3 feet tall, occasionally up to 6 feet
Thorny stems
Fragrant, 2-inch pink flowers with 5 petals
Blooms May–June
Produces green hips that ripen red
Perennial with attractive fall color
Found in prairies, savannas, open woodlands, and disturbed areas
Prefers full sun to partial shade
Grows best in well-drained soils
Can be susceptible to fungal diseases
Excellent nectar and pollen source for native bees and butterflies
Larval host plant for several moth species
Rose hips persist into winter and are rich in vitamin C
Fruit provides food for songbirds, wild turkey, quail, and small mammals
Dense, thorny thickets provide valuable nesting and escape cover for wildlife
Browsed by deer
Prescribed fire reduces competing vegetation and increases sunlight
Fire-dependent habitat species
Top growth is killed by fire but quickly resprouts from the base

07/01/2026

Our friends over at Berry are doing big things in the Habitat space and have secured nearly $750,000 to help restore calcareous flatwoods and montane longleaf pine habitats at Berry College and adjacent GA-DNR Wildlife Management Areas. GREAT WORK!
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Dk7Wbdq8H/

Director of the Berry College Longleaf Pine Project, Dr. Adrienne Ernst (ESS department), and collaborators Carlee Steppe and Allison Melcher from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources - Wildlife Resources Division have secured a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant to restore calcareous flatwoods and montane longleaf pine habitats at Berry College and adjacent GA-DNR Wildlife Management Areas. The grant totals nearly $750,000 including matching funds. Excellent work!

Managing and Restoring Calcareous Flatwoods and
Montane Longleaf Savannas in Northwest Georgia
Grantee: Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Grant Amount: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$387,100
Matching Funds: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$360,500
Total Project Amount: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$747,600
Restore and manage critically rare calcareous flatwoods and montane longleaf pine ecosystems on Berry College lands and the adjacent Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Management Area in northwest Georgia that support species including Mohr’s Barbara’s buttons. Project will restore and manage more than 3,000 acres through prescribed fire, invasive species control and targeted habitat management while developing a 50-year management plan to guide coordinated, landscape-scale stewardship.

Read more here:https://www.nfwf.org/sites/default/files/2026-06/nfwf-longleaf-grant-slate.pdf

Berry College
Environmental Science at Berry
The Longleaf Alliance
America's Longleaf Restoration Initiative

07/01/2026

This Baumalight mini tree puller is extremely effective on trees with 3" or smaller diameters. Privet, sweetgum and maple come up easily. Hickory and blackgum will make it work a little harder but it'll still get the job done!

Biggest advantageI see is that it is pulling the roots from the soil, preventing regrowth and those dreaded stump suckers. The landowner and I won't be fighting the same tree in a year or two, especially important with invasive Privet.

This thing is really a two in one tool. Pull the tree, carry it over to the brush pile, and keep working. Then I can come back later with the grapple and move the whole pile at once. It saves a lot of time, and I won't miss running over those little stumps that are hard on my rubber tracks.

So far, solid tool. Anything that helps me get more done with less wear on my equipment while leaving better habitat behind for the landowner is well worth it.

07/01/2026

Can I get a Heck yeah?

I usually have Cheryl schedule my posts 24 hours ahead of time, but that DEFINITELY wasn't happening today because my Baumalight tree and post puller showed up. Man, have I been looking forward to getting my hands on this thing.

Privet, sweet gum, and maple have no chance with this thing. I've always hated cutting smaller trees just to have suckers grow out of the stump. Not anymore, this thing pulls the whole tree out, roots and all!

I love restoring open woodlands in low areas and this makes quick work of those species in the loamy soil. I can pull a tree, carry it over, stack it, and keep moving. Then I'll come back with the grapple and clean up the whole pile at once.

Less cutting.
Less spraying.
Less doing the same job twice.

Total win in my book!

I'm looking forward to putting this beauty to work and showing y'all what it'll do.

06/30/2026

Y'all, meet my friend Cheryl. She'll be taking over the Small Acres Habitat and Forestry social media pages from here on out.

If you enjoy my rants, shenanigans, and occasional nonsense, don't worry—you can still find plenty of that over in the Habitat Hillbilly group.

People ask me to tell my story. It's impossible to fit a lifetime into one post, but here's the short version.

Childhood trauma led to drug use starting at the age of 12.

After 4 years of drug addiction, I was able to get clean at 16, but that didn't necessarily make things easier.

At 16, due to a mama's love, I had nowhere to call home.

Some unstable, rough-around-the-edges older women gave me a roof over my head.

Hard work and outworking most men helped me keep that roof over my head.

Somewhere along the way, a Miracle happened and God saw fit to bless me with an incredible wife.

Her lack of good judgment in marrying a man like me, gave me two amazing boys.

Not knowing how to be the husband and father my family needed led me to Jesus Christ.

Since then, it's been one blessing after another. Hard work, God's grace, and more second chances than I deserve eventually made it possible to own land.

And finally, accepting God's calling through my small business, RPM Landscape led us to Small Acres Habitat and Forestry.

A few things have never changed.

I've never left the woods, and the woods have never left me.

Jesus Christ is Lord. He has never left me, and I never plan to leave Him. He is my Rock.

We all die a little more every day. Our dreams matter. Eternity will be perfect. Today can be pretty good too with hard work, the love your family, and making the most of the time God gives you.

"Whom the Son sets free is free indeed."
I am free indeed.

06/29/2026

Trichostema Dichotomum

"Forked Bluecurls"

Mint Family (Lamiaceae)
Annual native wildflower
Blue to purple flowers, occasionally white
Distinctive long, curled stamens
Up to 3 ft. tall
Blooms in late summer to fall
Found in dry, sandy, open habitats, scrub, xeric hammocks, and flatwoods
Prefers full sun
Excellent nectar source for native bees and other pollinators
Can become aggressive in favorable conditions

Oxalis Stricta

(Yellow Wood Sorrel)

Wood Sorrel Family (Oxalidaceae)
Perennial native wildflower
Up to 9 in. tall
Yellow flowers, often blooming from spring through fall
Seed pods explosively eject seeds up to 40 ft.
Leaves fold closed at night
Found in open woods, fields, prairies, meadows, and roadsides
Low water needs
Pollinated by bees, ants, and butterflies
Seeds eaten by doves, juncos, sparrows, bobwhite quail, and other birds
Seeds also eaten by deer and mice

Eupatorium Serotinum

(Late Boneset)

Aster Family (Asteraceae)
Perennial native wildflower
Up to 5 ft. tall
White flowers bloom September through November
Important late-season nectar source for butterflies and native bees
Seeds eaten by birds
Prefers moist soils
Grows in sandy loam, clay, and other soil types
Spreads by rhizomes
Full sun to part shade
Excellent plant for late-season pollinators and wildlife