Common clearing projects
- New home or pole barn sites — clearing the footprint plus room to work around it
- Driveways — a clear, stumped path wide enough for trucks and emergency vehicles
- Overgrown fields and fence lines — brush, saplings and autumn olive taking over
- Trails and hunting lanes
- Views and lake access on waterfront lots, within your township's shoreline rules
Ways land gets cleared
Forestry mulching grinds brush and small trees in place into a mulch layer. It is fast, leaves the soil in place and doesn't need burning or hauling. It is a good fit for brush, saplings and trails.
Cut, stack and haul is used for larger timber. Usable logs can sometimes be sold or kept as firewood.
Full clearing with stump removal is needed where a foundation, septic field or driveway will go. Stumps are dug or ground out and the site is left ready for grading.
Before you clear
- Check township rules, especially near lakes, rivers and wetlands. Land along the Muskegon River and its tributaries may have extra restrictions.
- Mark property lines. Clearing over the line onto a neighbor's land is an expensive mistake.
- Decide what to keep. Flag the trees you want saved before work starts.
- Think about timber value. On larger wooded parcels, a forester can tell you if there is marketable timber before it is mulched.
In the request form, give a rough size (for example "about 1 acre" or "100 ft by 200 ft") and what's on it — brush, small trees, or mature timber.
Questions about lot & land clearing
How is land clearing priced?
Usually by the acre or by the job, depending on how dense the growth is, the size of the trees, and whether stumps must come out. A site visit is almost always needed for a firm price.
Can you clear in winter?
Often, yes. Frozen ground can actually make it easier to get heavy equipment in without rutting the site.