As a skid steer loader and mulcher clear brush from the rear of the Cornerstone Word of Faith Ministries church grounds in Birmingham, Ala., Bishop Christopher D. Curry shakes hands with Steve Small and thanks him for the work his crew is doing.

  With the fallen trees, underbrush, scrub trees, thick layer of kudzu, and trash removed by Small and his work crew, a layer of fresh wood chips and a stand of chestnut trees now grace the church grounds.

  Small, who oversees crews for his company, Think Safe Inc., as well as FACS Lawn Service, Inc., which is owned by his wife, Annie, is clearing overgrown lots as part of the city of Birmingham’s Weed Abatement Program. The program’s goal is to clear approximately 17,000 overgrown lots in Birmingham. Contracts with the city call for the removal of all debris and plants and trees smaller than three-inches in diameter.

  “Everything has to be cleaned up. When we leave a lot, it has to be clean enough to set up a picnic table,” said Small.

 

  Clearing the lots, some of which have been abandoned and used as trash dumps for 30 years, is tough work.  “Some of these lots have never been cut, and there’s all kinds of debris. Every hurricane, every tornado that’s ever been through, everything is still on the ground. We plan for that. We go into this expecting the worst,” Small said. 

 

After making sure the crew is at the right site, which isn’t easy at lots where houses have crumbled and street addresses are long gone, the crew will pick up any loose paper and trash, if conditions allow. “With all the snakes, rodents, and insects, we don’t send guys through there on foot if it’s too thick,” said Small.

 

  Small uses a pair of Cat 272C Skid Steer Loaders and Cat HM315 Mulchers to clear the kudzu vines, underbrush, and small trees.

 

  An initial pass is made with the mulcher set about two feet above ground level to expose anything that could damage the equipment. Items discovered at this time are removed by hand or with a skid steer loader and a bucket.

 

  “You always have to be on the lookout for iron or rocks, anything that can damage the mulcher head. Sometimes, we’ll take a bucket and remove the things we can see, but 99 percent of the time the mulcher head is the first thing through,” said Small.

 

  A second pass with the mulcher cuts nearly all materials to less than three-inches in size, which meets city specs and eliminates a great deal of hand work required to remove the larger pieces. “You close that door, and back over it, the HM315 will mulch it up. It becomes fertilizer, and enriches the soil. That’s one of the fantastic features of the mulcher head,” Small said.

 

  Closing a door on the mulcher drives materials toward the ground, enabling the work tool to cut against buildings or driveways without causing damage. “When you’re working beside a $50,000 automobile in an adjacent driveway, you need to be able to close that door,” said Small.

 

  The final step is putting branches through a chipper to create a bed of wood chips. “The chips form a kind of seal. It’s a beautiful, finished product,” Small said.

 

  As a crane operator and heavy equipment operator for more than 30 years, Small understands the importance of selecting the proper equipment for the job. After extensive research, Small decided the multi-functional capabilities of the Cat Skid Steer Loader and Work Tools was the best match for the work and the hilly terrain.

 

  “This equipment will meet the challenge better than anything on the market. It’s a multi-task machine. With this equipment, you don’t need five machines on the job to get the work done. You only need one,” Small said.

 

  Using the Cat equipment, hand work and the use of hand tools is minimal. The results – Small’s crew clears lots faster than other contractors and beats the program’s timetable.

Clearing the lots increases property values, beautifies the area, and makes the neighborhood safer. It’s not uncommon for Small to receive hugs from homeowners pleased to see the improvement. “It gives you fulfillment. You’re making a difference,” he  said.

 

  A Baptist minister, Small sees the work as an extension of his ministry. “God expects us to be good stewards of what he has given to us. We’re running into a lot of instances where individuals have been bad stewards, so we have an obligation to clean it up,” said Small.