FULL LIST OF OUR SERVICES
At PHS we have the ability to provide a variety of equipment services with a focus on agriculture and forestry/environmental applications. We can assist with basic site-work projects as well. There is no job too big or too small.
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Equipment services provide efficient ways to handle land management operations. It’s surprising how quickly wide open spaces can become overgrown with stubborn weeds, volunteer saplings, and brush. Clearing land to use for farming, hunting, and wildlife habitats requires skill, knowledge, and accessibility to the proper equipment. Landowners can protect their interests by using a qualified land management company like Promise Habitat Services.
SITE PREPARATION
Site preparation is the process of planning and implementing forestry or agricultural services to reach the landowner's goal of their property. This could be forestry mulching a wooded area to prepare it for a prescribed burn for fuel reduction, or clearing land to prepare for building a home. Tell us what your vision is for your land, and we will set up a plan that fits both you and your property's needs.
MAPPING
Landowners request a variety of maps for their environmental land management needs. GPS field computers and desktop software let us create detailed maps including:
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Endangered Species
Identifies the location of and suggests methods for management buffers of threatened or endangered species of any type of wildlife, including the bald eagle and Florida panther.
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Mitigation
Details mitigation areas and management practices prescribed within the boundaries.
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General Property
Property map showing the property boundary overlaid upon a current aerial view.
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Wetland Delineation
Identifies location and proper boundaries of wetlands.
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Topography
Identifies topography of a property utilizing USGS data.
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Prescribed Burning
Detailed maps of burn blocks such as smoke management maps, proximity to smoke-sensitive areas, and firelines (including status).
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Soils
Shows site-specific soil data obtained from the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) overlaid upon a current aerial map.
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Habitat Management
Delineates a property’s current and future habitat status and objectives.
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Preparation
Outlines preparation methods, such as chemical applications and mechanical treatments, like mowing and chopping.
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Timber Inventory
Designed to identify an accurate estimation of timber volumes and value through timber inventories and valuation.
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Reforestation
Details acreage and provides a site map for tree plantings.
Land Clearing
Land clearing is the process of removing trees, stumps, brush, and other obstacles that may be preventing the land from meeting the landowner's needs. Promise Habitat Services does this with proficiency and sensitivity to the land we are working on.
FORESTRY MULCHING
Forestry mulching is one of the most common site preparation and land clearing techniques we use. We use skid steers with mulcher attachments to mulch overgrowth and unwanted trees and vegetation. Forestry mulching is often used to help prepare for prescribed burns, helping to enrich the soil with organic material, reduce the chances of wildfire, and make the property beautiful and easy to access.
ROLLER DRUM CHOPPING
Roller drum chopping is a mechanical way of removing undesirable species of most trees and can be used to control brush, possibly eliminating the need to use herbicides. Clearing allows sunlight to reach the forest floor and encourages the growth of desirable native herbaceous plants.
The roller drum chopper knocks down and chops up brush, chews up trees with diameters of three inches or less, and severs some shallow roots.
This heavy unit is usually pulled with a prime mover, such as a skidder. Grader blades are mounted on the drum, which is usually about six feet in diameter and eight feet wide. Landowners should know that it should not be used on wet areas because it will compact and scar the earth.
PRESCRIBED BURN/CONTROLLED BURN
A prescribed burn, also known as controlled burn, good burn, burn off, and reduction burning, is a controlled way to use fire to improve the state of your property. After a site is prepped for a burn, chemicals are used to spread fire on the desired organic debris and monitored while the fire is guided through the property. Prescribed fire can help reduce the likelihood of wildfires, return organic material back into the soil, and help combat disease and invasive species.
Brush Management
Overgrowth on your property isn't just an eyesore, it can also be a danger to the ecosystem or people nearby. Brush management is a way to help make your property look beautiful, more accessible, and help reduce risks like wildfires and the spread of invasive species.
HEAVY BRUSH MULCHING
Heavy brush mulching and under-brushing are done with a low ground pressure attachment connected to equipment such as a Bobcat skid steer, agricultural tractor, or rubber-tired hydraulic tractor. The unit mulches mid-story and understory plants with a diameter less than six inches. Mulching reduces fuel loads, creates firelines in high vegetation areas, and reduces invasive plants in environmentally sensitive areas.
LIGHT AND HEAVY BRUSH MOWING
Light and heavy brush mowing is a preferred way of handling the clearing of large, overgrown areas. Operating a self-propelled brush mower involves walking behind the equipment and guiding it along narrow walkable areas. Bush hogs are tow-behind mowers and deal with overgrown meadows, fields, and other large areas. This piece of equipment takes care of grasses and weeds without jamming. It’s powerful enough to cut through saplings up to 3 inches thick.
BUSH HOGGING
Bush hogging, also known as brush hogging or brush cutting, is a quick and efficient way to help manage brush on your property. Bush hogging helps to eliminate dense vegetation in an overgrown area, helping to prepare it for things like hunting, farming, or development.
Forest Management
Forest management includes both legal aspects of forestry and actual forestry practices themselves. When owning land that has a thriving (or not-so-thriving) ecosystem, there are many things you need to consider and implement that we can help you with.
TIMBER SALE ASSISTANCE, VALUATION, PURCHASING, AND HARVESTING
The following services are typically managed for the landowner to maximize investment return.
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Designate trees to be harvested.
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Provide a tree inventory to area loggers so they can participate in a competitive bid process for the trees.
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Manage advertising regarding the date bids will open and qualifications for bidding.
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Prepare a sale inventory that details the board footage to be removed as well as the species and number of trees.
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Arrange and conduct tours for potential bidders.
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Administrate and negotiate the contract between the timber buyer and landowner.
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The long term goals of the landowner should be reflected in the size, quality, quantity, and species of trees removed in a timber harvest. Examples include:
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Wildlife habitat improvement
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Forest health
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Sustainable income from the timber
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Silvicultural treatments and cutting cycles are unique for each property and defined by forest characteristics and goals. Our knowledgeable marketing and management practices result in desirable timber values.
REFORESTATION
Reforestation promotes forest sustainability through revegetating disturbed or barren ground or replanting after harvest. Fires and natural disasters such as landslides and severe winds can wipe out vegetation. Reforesting after wildfires include the practice of planting new seedlings. Disease and insects also can affect trees, which requires a knowledgeable assessment and treatment for the problem
NATURE PRESERVE MANAGEMENT
AND CONSULTING
We build plans to fit the project while complying with local and state standards and requirements. Details are noted on each application to define the project and goals.
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An ecosystem approach to management results in a heightened awareness of all areas touched by the project. Water, aesthetics, and wildlife are also included. Recreation and timber are other concerns. Discussing and incorporating the relationship of each part to one another creates a healthy plan of nature preserve management and consulting projects.
ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
AND PERMITTING
The following activities are essential parts of prescribed burns.
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Fireline Inspection: Involves inspecting fireline integrity. We note and plan how to resolve details about anything that may compromise the fire’s effectiveness, such as grass and leaves near the line.
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Fireline Placement/Improvement: The entire property is mapped to identify individual burn blocks, firelines, and key danger areas indicated. Smoke management maps identify affected areas beyond the property.
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Burn Permit: Required notice is made to local and state agencies regarding the burn. We apply for and obtain the burn permit from the Florida Division of Forestry.
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Mop-Up: The monitoring of the prescribed fire when it is done. We use water and other agents to reduce residual smoke.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION
Mining, harvesting, and even natural occurrences like hurricanes can cause a disturbance to the environment on your property. When your land isn't at it's most healthy, it can cause risks to you and the land like having more potential of wildfires or invasive exotic species. Environmental restoration is a process we use to restore your land to its natural state with environmental sensitivity and close attention to detail.
Wildlife Management
HABITAT RESTORATION
When a habitat is disturbed, this could mean either the wildlife or vegetation has lost its prevalence due to many factors such as development nearby, invading species, or a disease spreading through the ecosystem. When restoring habitat, we are focusing on what the particular ecosystem needs to thrive with biodiversity and create a healthy home for our Florida wildlife and vegetation.
AQUATIC MANAGEMENT
Aquatic management is tailored to eliminate problems in waterways from weed control to planting native plants and stocking fish. PHS applicators are knowledgeable about aquatic plant species and certified and licensed by the State of Florida.
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We evaluate customer waterways to determine which methods to use. Exotic aquatic plant species thrive in Florida. The result is an overgrowth that interferes with the integrity of bodies of water and outdoor sports like boating and fishing.​
Overgrowth can be quickly removed by mechanical, herbicide (algaecides and herbicides), and manual methods. Dredging and deepening a pond helps control the amount of rooted aquatic plants. Draglines are used for underwater dredging in small ponds, while excavation machinery like bulldozers are useful for drained areas.
Vegetation Management
Vegetation management is the treatment of bushes, trees, and other foliage on your property. This can be removal, exotic species treatment, or managing the vegetation you wish to keep on the property.
LICENSED HERBICIDE APPLICATION
Herbicides reduce soil compaction and erosion caused by using heavy equipment services. Licensed herbicide application has proven effective with vegetation control and is an effective part of land management. Many types of vegetation can be targeted with a single application.
Helicopter spray booms deliver a wide application, as do the ground sprayers for ATVs and skidders. Handheld sprayers allow additional control over which plants are treated. Risks include the likelihood of the herbicide drifting onto trees and other plants.
EXOTIC PLANT SPECIES
TREATMENT AND MANAGEMENT
Even with advances in what equipment can do, the most expensive option of exotic plant species treatment/management is still mechanical site preparation. Clearing an area requires fewer times for passing over a site. Combination plows are attached to tractors with a small blade to remove debris. In just one pass they rip subsoil, shear and clear debris, and create planting beds.
Planned burns, though inexpensive and effective, must be carefully planned to maximize effectiveness and reduce the hazards of fire. Chemical applications are site-specific. They enhance land by reducing competing vegetation and invasive exotic species.
BIOMASS HARVESTING
Biomass harvesting is an important step in the gathering and removal of biomass from a field that is dependent on the state of the biomass. This could mean crop, grass, or woody residue.
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Collection of the biomass involves gathering, packaging, and transportin the biomass to a nearby site to store temporarily. The amount of biomass resources that can be collected at a given time depends on a variety of factors.
PLANTING NATIVE TREES AND GRASS
Planting native is another one of Promise Habitat Services' passions because it is a great way to help the Florida ecosystem. With our expertise in native Floridian foliage and wildlife, we can plant native trees and grass and create an ecosystem inviting to a variety of wildlife.
Agricultural Services
FOOD PLOT ESTABLISHMENT AND MANAGEMENT
Landowners may want to establish a supplemental food source for wildlife on their land. Food plot establishment and management address that desire. The native vegetation must be managed at the same time since it provides essential nutrients and quality foods. The plot should be accessible to the wildlife for which it is intended, especially during winter and other stressful periods.
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A soils analysis test is important because it tells the landowner if the desired vegetation will grow in that particular spot. The plot and surrounding area must be properly managed to avoid unwanted vegetation from taking over and destroying all the hard work.
Locations include forest edges and open fields.
Equipment includes tractors, cultivators, rototillers, sprayers, and spreaders.
FARM AND FORESTRY ROAD BUILDING
Equipment used for farm and forestry road building depends on road construction guidelines. Bulldozers can be used to move trees. Dead-end roads should be cleared and leveled at the end for an easy turn-around. Mulchers help clear the land for roads and right of ways.
LOADER AND DOZER SERVICES
There are many sizes and features for construction equipment. Loader and dozer services are evaluated to be sure the equipment needed for the job is available.
A compact tracked loader is simply a skid steer with tracks. Its increased traction and higher flotation add stability on loose soil. Clearing right-of-ways for site preparation may require a skidder with a dozer blade. A firefighting dozer is frequently needed. It’s essential to match the right equipment for the job.
FIELD DISCING/PLOWING
Field discing/plowing usually involves the use of a moldboard plow and tilling to a depth between 8 – 12 inches. The land is disked two or more times before planting. Discing is also used to: create/rehabilitate firelines, prepare food plots, and enhance/create habitats during reforestation projects.