The machine which is intended to be powered by a tractor, comprises a horizontal cutter disk 3, cutter knives 2 mounted thereon and a cutter head frame 6 mounting the cutter disk at a lower end of the frame, and an hydraulic motor 10 for driving the cutter disk 3. The cutter head frame 6 being pivotally mounted remote from the cutter unit to be adjustable in the height direction in conformity with the soil surface so that a branch raiser 8 moves lightly over the ground, the cutter disk being toothed around its outer rim, with the cutting knives being located on the upper side of the cutter disk and out of its plane, and the branch raiser acting to lift a branch from the ground onto the cutter knives; a branch guiding stick 9 and a divider point 4 also being provided, the latter acting to separate out branches to be cut and the stick acting to guide them onto the knives.
