Land clearing in Colerain Township

Colerain Township covers the rolling, wooded ground between the Mill Creek basin and the Great Miami River in northwest Hamilton County. The river runs along the township’s western and northern sides, and plenty of neighborhoods back up to the woods and creek draws that drain toward it.

That’s why so many lots here look fine from the street and turn into a jungle past the back fence. The part of the property you actually mow might be half of what you own.

Bush honeysuckle is the usual culprit. Great Parks of Hamilton County calls it its most invasive shrub, and a University of Cincinnati biologist told WCPO it’s now the most abundant woody plant in the county. In the back half of a Colerain lot, it can be so thick you can’t see the ground or the trees behind it.

We mulch it out and leave the good trees standing. Most people are surprised by how much usable yard they get back, and how far they can suddenly see into their own woods.

Because many of these jobs are behind a house, access is the first thing we check. How wide is the gate? Is there a side yard the machine can get through, or a better way in from the back? Where’s the septic, if you have one? Is the ground soft down by the creek?

None of that usually stops a job, but it does change the plan. Since we’re close by, we’re happy to stop in and look. Jobs start at $2,500, which covers one full crew day.