Unsurprisingly, you should hire a land-clearing specialist to level your land
Whether you want to build a new paver patio or plant mulch-filled garden beds, you’ll need to clear the land beforehand. Land clearing transforms your yard into a blank canvas that’s ready for landscaping or construction projects. So, who do you hire to clear land? A land-clearing specialist is usually your best option.
Hiring a local land-clearing specialist is your best option because they’ll have the equipment and skills necessary to get the job done quickly and safely while keeping costs down. There are a few key benefits to choosing a land-clearing specialist:
Savings: Land-clearing specialists often already own the equipment necessary to carry out the work you need done. Other professionals, like landscapers who mostly carry out routine service, likely won’t. As such, you’ll pay costly rental fees for a pro who doesn’t specialize in land clearing, which will drive up your costs.
Safety: While most people can remove grass and shrubs, it can be hazardous to excavate and remove large trees without experience and the right equipment. This is especially true when heavy machinery is involved. Even lifting large rocks and tree branches incorrectly can cause injury, so hiring a professional who specializes in land clearing is usually the best option.
Efficiency: Land-clearing specialists know how to clear land efficiently so that your construction or landscaping project can start without delay. You’re less likely to have to wait for equipment rentals to be available or see delays because of inexperience or mistakes made during the clearing process.
Damage reduction: There’s a lot of potential to damage things like underground pipes, cables, and even nearby vegetation during a DIY land clearing. A specialist will know how to clear your land, preserve nearby trees and shrubs, and prevent damage to underground utilities. They can even make mulch out of the trees they remove.
There are tons of DIY-friendly landscaping jobs, from planting flowers to installing basic landscape curbing. However, large land-clearing projects are best left to the pros. This type of job often requires excavation and tree removal, which requires heavy machinery that can be dangerous to operate for the average DIYer.
That said, you can DIY smaller land-clearing jobs (think grass and shrub removal). All you’ll need is a shovel, pruning shears, gardening gloves, and some time to get the work done. Just keep in mind that even the smallest yards require a lot of manual labor to clear, which is why so many homeowners hire pros.
You may be able to hire a local arborist to clear your land, as well as perform other related jobs like forestry mulching and tree trimming. Arborists specialize in trees, and they’re skilled at many land-clearing jobs, like tree removal, brush removal, and stump grinding. In some areas, the building code might require that you use an arborist to tackle tree removal, but if that’s the case, a land-clearing specialist will likely have one on staff anyway.
One of the biggest benefits of hiring an arborist is that they understand root systems. This means they can help preserve your existing environment, protecting nearby trees while safely removing others. They’ll also use the same specialized equipment as other land-clearing services to do the job safely and efficiently.
The only downside of hiring an arborist is that they might not have access to the heavy machinery required to move landscaping boulders and other heavy features. An arborist might need to call on a land-clearing specialist to get the job done, so it’s a good idea to cut out the intermediary.
A forestry mulching specialist is another good option if you just have vegetation you need cleared above the ground. These pros will have the equipment necessary to grind down small trees, shrubs, and plants so that they’re level with the ground. Forestry mulching costs around $800 per acre, so it’s likely going to be a more affordable option than true land clearing.
However, they may not have the equipment necessary to move non-organic material, like landscaping boulders, and they will often leave the mulched material behind. This can add nutrients to your soil over time, but if you’re clearing your land for a construction project, you’ll need to pay an additional fee to remove the mulch before building.
A local leaf removal company might be able to provide the cleanup services you need afterward. However, hiring a leaf removal company for cleanup will increase your costs.
Pros perform a number of jobs when they clear land. First, they’ll survey the land to see what they have to clear and how best to clear it. They may look at any slopes that need regrading and check for underground utilities. Once they determine the scope of the project, they will:
Acquire permits
Remove larger trees from the top down
Remove small trees by grinding/mulching or cutting down
Grind down tree stumps
Remove shrubs and cacti
Remove grass and brush
Move rocks, boulders, and other debris out of the way
Trim trees that obstruct your construction plans
Regrade and level the land
Land clearing costs an average of $3,743, but prices can range anywhere from $400 to $15,000, depending on the size of the land you need cleared, how dense the coverage is, and what needs to be removed. Expect prices toward the lower end if your professional just needs to mulch some plants and shrubs on a small patch of land, and expect prices to move toward the higher end for things like taking down a large number of trees and removing landscaping boulders.
Land-clearing projects often take professionals one to two days to complete, but your timeframe can get much longer—sometimes up to a week or more—if you need your pros to clear a large section of land, grind down multiple large trees below the ground, or clear especially dense or heavy materials, like landscaping boulders and brush. A land-clearing expert will usually give you an accurate timeline along with your quote to help you better plan your project.
Permit requirements to clear land vary by municipality, so whether or not you need permits depends on where you live and what you’re removing from the land. Some building departments will require permits for any underground work or excavation, meaning grinding down tree stumps on your property would require permits. Others mandate individual permits for each tree you remove. You can contact your local building department or a land-clearing specialist near you to see if permits are necessary for your job.
