Iron Goat Mastication Services cleans up property

BONNERS FERRY — Owning a large portion of forested property may be a selling point to upcoming property owners. However, maintaining the property may prove costly when supplying the equipment as a private owner.

Mastication services provide property owners an opportunity to hire a company to clean up their land, such as trimming trees and cleaning brush for a much lower cost. Utilizing a variety of equipment, servicers can break apart brush, trees, and other natural fuels that may cause fire hazards, be in the way for property improvements, or be an eyesore. That is where Iron Goat Mastication Services comes in to help.

Naples residents Tyler and Ginger Personeni decided to make the move to northern Idaho from the Boise area about a decade ago. Ginger Personeni is originally from Meridian, Idaho, and Tyler Personeni moved to the Boise area from Lake Tahoe, Nev., where they met and created their family in 2010. From there, they decided to make a move north and were originally looking at the Coeur d’Alene area. After visiting Sandpoint, they knew they needed to venture further north, eventually purchasing property in Naples after spending a couple of years in the area.

As they adjusted to the tasks of owning their 10 acres, they found that the tools and equipment of managing the plants and trees on it were expensive. Having that personal experience has led the couple to looking for better ways to care for their own property as well as assisting other community members with maintaining their own properties.

“We have spent countless hours clipping, clearing, cutting, raking, burning, and mowing on our own property in an attempt to ‘tame the forest’,” said Ginger Personeni. “We have also used pigs and goats to get some extra help. Eight years later we continued our North Idaho adventure by starting up our own business.”

The utilization of the goats is what assisted the couple in choosing the name for their mastication business. This spring is the launch of the Iron Goat Mastication Services after much preparation, even though they currently offer snow removal services as well.

“We will provide snow removal on an individual basis as well as contracts as the community needs,” said Ginger Personeni.

After the fire threats around the region over the past couple of dry seasons, the worried couple looked into ways to get the jump on fire prevention on their property.

“We started researching ways to get ahead of the growth,” said Ginger Personeni. “Mastication services are a big business on the east coast, but it is nearly unheard of out here. There are masticators that are used in the clean up of logging operations, but it isn’t widely offered for smaller clean up jobs.”

Tyler Personeni has over 25 years of experience operating heavy machinery. Over the years, he has mined in Alaska, worked in excavation, pipeline work, and owned an excavation company in Nevada. He has also completed a vocational, heavy equipment, and surveying course, further aiding in the knowledge to further his career.

“Tyler has an amazing talent for looking at raw land and finding ways to get beautiful results with a piece of equipment,” said Ginger Personeni. “We want to help assist homeowners who have sacrificed countless hours working with hand tools and saving up for rental equipment, trying to do it all themselves.”

They continue to further their education within the field in order to not only assist their business, but provide the best service to their customers.

“We are looking into furthering our education in forestry and noxious weed removal/ identification,” said Ginger Personeni.

The extent of work and maintenance required for owners of acreage of property seems to grow with each acre. Having a local service available as an option may not only save money, but hours of time.

“Some of the things that we offer are land/lot clearing, logging cleanup, thinning, fence line access, right of way clearing, paths and trails, slash pile grinding, underbrush mulching, park pruning, fuel breaks, and food plots,” said Ginger Personeni. “If you don’t see what you need listed here give us a call. We are constantly adding to our list, let us know what we can do to help and we will do our best to make it happen.”

The seasonal struggles of owning property and living in the area affects the amount one can accomplish in property management and improvements, including equipment maintenance, but that hasn’t slowed the Personenis down in accomplishing their goals.

“We are most looking forward to helping people that are going through the same struggles we have had for years,” said Ginger Personeni. “Helping them see the full beauty of their property, gain peace of mind, and maximizing their mountain living experience.”

Having one’s property cleaned up not only prevents fire damage to the land, but is healthy for the forest and land.

“The great thing about the mulch is that all of that nutrient rich material is returned to the soil,” said Ginger Personeni. “By putting the much back on the ground, the remaining vegetation benefits from the process, this also reduces the effects of erosion.”

After overcoming the challenges of being owners of a comparatively large portion of property, the Personenis saw a need in the community and sought to fill that need with their knowledge, equipment, and customer service.

“We are making a commitment to be of service to our community,” said Ginger Personeni. “We know what it takes to live on a piece of property and be a good steward of the land. We want to make this an easier process for our neighbors here in the northwest.”

Iron Goat Mastication Services can be contacted at 208-954-2616, 208-631-8246, or at irongoatmsllc@outlook.com, or find them on Facebook at Iron Goat Mastication Services.