miltrade,
If you have to remove the brush, your options are fire,
chipper, and FEL work. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Like I said the DR Mower does a pretty good job of mulching what it cuts. Bigger sapplings don't seem to get mulched as much. If you leave a stick on the ground that should not be a breeding ground or hiding place. If the stuff its just lying on the ground rotting I would not think you would have as much of a bug/snake problem.
Ticks and chiggers we have. Chiggers and tick like plants that are 12-24 inchs tall. At least in my area. Especially chiggers. Keeping this kind of brush cut down does help. BUT as long as you have deer and other animals feeding the tick and chiggers you are going to have tick and chiggers. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif I think the only way to really remove them is with controlled burns.
I don't go into my woods in from spring until the first freeze without dressing for ticks and chiggers. Mowing should keep the chiggers down but ticks will still be there but hopefully reduced. I have been the host of quite a few chigger infestations. I ALWAYS pick them up in grass/brush 12-24 inches tall. Momma chigger likes to lay the eggs on brush that will rub up against an animal. I'm not sure she would lay that on dead wood. I know I have never gotten chiggers from dead wood. Ticks will be in the leaf litter as well as grass/brush. I won't say I have not picked up ticks from dead wood but there would be dang few. Usually its the same scenario with chiggers as with ticks. 12-24 inch tall grass/brush. BUT I have seen ticks running across gravel to get to me. They see ya they will run for ya. Ye just need to move faster or see them first. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
If you have piles of wood that might attract the snakes. But I don't think it will do much for the ticks and chiggers. I have noticed that the bitting flies seemed to like tall grass/brush. Remove it and their population decreases.
You can use your FEL to pull up saplings with no strain. I have notice the DR Mower will pull some saplings out of the ground before munching.
Pallet forks are really useful to carrying large amounts of brush. You have to manually stack it on the forks or pile the brush up first so the forks can get under it but it works pretty well.
Later,
Dan