As the settlers came across the country in search of new opportunities, they found themselves staring down a wall of trees. The government had promised land that was ready to farm, but most of the open spaces had ground unfit to grow their crops. Just like the forests of the east coast they had left, in the way of a sustainable living stood the monumental project of opening up land for houses and fields.

Today we often face the same challenges as settlers of old. In the way of our new additions, building projects, and future farmland stands wooden beasts, trying to slow down our progress. But unlike the settlers, now clearing the land is as easy as calling us!

There are a few different ways to clear land, each of which has its own benefits and problems and should be applied to different scenarios. If you have a grove of trees surrounding your property, oftentimes it becomes grown in with invasive plants, usually nasty thick buckthorn. Just in that scenario alone, there are a few different approaches we can take. If you have strong healthy trees, we can bring in a forestry mulcher. The mulcher will grind and pulverize all the under-canopy brush, leaving behind a covering of large wood chips which help prevent the regrowth of future invasives. The downside to mulching is that it does not remove the root system of the problem plants. Future applications of chemicals will be needed until there is a healthy grass cover to naturally keep down the invasives. Mulching is also not advised if you plan on building right away in the area where mulching occurred. You will still be scraping away the topsoil to build, making mulching an unnecessary step.

Sometimes the grove from the previous scenario is too far gone. A lot of our groves around here are filled with mostly boxelder, which is prone to rot and breakage as they age. Depending on the size and location of the project, an excavator or dozer can make quick work of a grove, ripping out whole trees and piling them to be burned in the future. But as always, there are downsides. An excavator or dozer works without discrimination, and even the best operators can sometimes damage any trees you would have liked to be saved. That is where a felling operation can shine, only cutting out the junk, and leaving behind anything worth saving. Sure it takes more time, but depending on your desired outcome, felling trees individually can leave behind something still wonderful for you to enjoy.

But what if you want to build or plant right where the trees are? You do not want old stumps and root systems rotting beneath a new foundation or cement slab. At that point, it is best to bring in the heavy equipment. We offer land clearing consulting, and have sometimes found valuable timber in the old groves and fence lines around our area. It never hurts to have us take a quick walkthrough of your project, looking for and spotting potential value in the timber on your land. Who knows, 100 years ago a squirrel might have buried a walnut for winter, and now in the middle of your site grows a beautiful Black Walnut! We have even found large Eastern Red Cedar on sites to be cleared. If there is enough valuable timber, putting a hold on the heavy equipment, even for a quick minute, can give us the time needed to extract any valuable timber out of your woods, helping you recoup some of the costly equipment time.

It does not matter what your land clearing project is, we are always happy to talk with you, helping you find the best solution, even if the project does not end up involving us. So stop barking up the wrong tree, Text or Call us today! 320-321-3677