Lot Clearing
Professional lot clearing that strips your property down to bare, buildable ground
5 Highlights on Lot Clearing
- Complete vegetation removal — Our crews fell standing timber, grind stumps below grade, and clear all brush, undergrowth, and deadfall from your parcel. We leave clean dirt ready for construction or grading.
- Heavy equipment fleet on site — We deploy forestry mulchers, feller bunchers, skid steers, bulldozers, and grapple trucks to clear wooded, overgrown, and brushy lots of any size. Mechanical clearing handles dense thickets and tangled understory fast.
- Stump grinding and root removal — Every lot clearing job includes stump grinding to six inches below grade. We extract root balls, taproots, and lateral roots that would interfere with foundations, footings, or underground utility lines.
- Debris hauling and recycling — We chip brush on site, load logs onto flatbed trucks, and haul all woody debris to recycling facilities. Clients can keep wood chips and mulch for landscaping or we dispose of everything.
- Grading and site preparation — After we clear the lot, our operators grade the terrain with bulldozers and front end loaders. We level uneven ground, backfill low spots with fill dirt, and compact soil for stable building pads.
Why Choose Our Lot Clearing Service
Lot clearing is a full scale land transformation that demands the right equipment, trained operators, and proper permitting. Quick Cut Tree Service brings all three to every job site.
Our certified arborists and crew leaders assess each parcel before work begins. We walk the property line, flag utility lines, identify protected trees or heritage specimens covered by local tree ordinances, and mark boundaries. That survey prevents costly mistakes and keeps your project compliant with municipal codes.
We own our equipment. Forestry mulchers, stump grinders, excavators, grapple trucks, and chippers roll out from our yard. No subcontractors. No rental delays. Our operators hold current certifications and follow ANSI Z133 safety standards and OSHA regulations on every lot clearing project.
Quick Cut Tree Service carries full liability insurance and bonding. We provide written estimates, detailed contracts, and clear work orders before any chainsaw starts. Our crew leaders communicate daily progress so you know exactly where the job stands.
We’ve cleared residential lots for custom home builders, commercial parcels for developers, rural acreage for agricultural use, and municipal tracts for public works projects. That range of experience means we understand grading requirements, drainage considerations, erosion control, and site access challenges across different terrain types. Flat, sloped, steep, marshy, rocky — we’ve cleared it all.
Signs You Need Lot Clearing
Lot clearing is the first step when raw or overgrown land needs to become usable ground. Here are five situations where professional clearing makes sense.
You purchased a wooded or vacant parcel for construction. Undeveloped lots covered in mature hardwoods, dense brush, and tangled undergrowth won’t accept a foundation until every tree, stump, root system, and piece of deadwood comes out. Builders need a clean, graded surface with compacted soil before they can pour concrete or lay utilities. Our lot clearing crews remove all standing timber, saplings, shrubs, and ground cover down to bare earth.
Overgrown vegetation has consumed the property. Abandoned lots and neglected acreage get swallowed by invasive species, thorny thickets, scrubby undergrowth, and volunteer trees. Woody vines choke fences. Brush piles harbor pests like carpenter ants, termites, and bark beetles. A forestry mulcher and brush chipper can reclaim that land in days rather than weeks of manual cutting.
Storm damage has left dangerous debris across your land. Windblown trees, broken limbs, fallen trunks, and scattered deadfall create hazardous conditions. Storm damaged lots need systematic clearing — felling unstable snags, bucking downed logs, chipping brush, and grinding stumps — before any rebuilding or replanting can start.
Your property requires a new drainage plan or utility installation. Sewer lines, water lines, gas lines, and drainage ditches need clear corridors. Root zones from large oaks, maples, and sycamores interfere with trenching and excavation. Lot clearing removes those obstructions and gives excavation crews unimpeded access.
Local code enforcement has cited your property. Many municipalities issue violations for overgrown, weedy, or hazardous lots. Tall brush, dead trees, and accumulated debris can trigger fines. Professional lot clearing brings your parcel into compliance quickly and provides documentation for inspectors.
Our Lot Clearing Process
Lot clearing is a sequenced operation that moves from assessment through final grading. Here’s how Quick Cut Tree Service handles each phase.
Step 1 — Site survey and estimate. Our estimator walks the entire parcel with you. We measure the acreage, note the tree species and trunk diameters, identify any protected or heritage trees, locate utility lines, and assess the terrain. Sloped ground, marshy soil, rocky substrates, and limited access points all affect the scope. You receive a written estimate and detailed proposal within 48 hours.
Step 2 — Permitting and preparation. We pull any required clearing permits, coordinate with utility companies for line marking, and set up traffic cones, barricades, and caution tape around the work zone. Our crew leader confirms the property boundaries and marks trees flagged for preservation.
Step 3 — Timber felling and brush cutting. Sawyers fell standing trees using directional cuts. Operators run forestry mulchers through dense brush and understory. Chainsaw crews buck logs into manageable sections. We work systematically from one end of the lot to the other.
Step 4 — Stump grinding and root extraction. Stump grinders remove every stump to below grade level. Excavators pull root balls and major lateral roots that would obstruct future construction. We backfill stump holes with clean fill dirt.
Step 5 — Debris removal and grading. Chippers process brush into wood chips. Grapple trucks load logs and haul them off site. Bulldozers and front end loaders grade the cleared lot to the specified elevation and contour. We compact the soil and leave a clean, level building pad ready for your next phase.
Brands We Use
Lot clearing demands commercial grade equipment built for heavy, sustained use. Quick Cut Tree Service runs trusted brands across our entire fleet.
- Stihl
- Husqvarna
- Vermeer
- Rayco
- Bandit
- Morbark
- Caterpillar
- John Deere
- Bobcat
- Fecon
Safety and reliability aren’t negotiable on a lot clearing project.
Other Services
| Lot clearing | Land clearing service | Vegetation removal, site preparation |
| Lot clearing company | Tree and brush clearing | Forestry mulching, stump grinding |
| Residential lot clearing | Property clearing service | Grading, debris hauling, excavation |
| Commercial lot clearing | Acreage clearing | Bulldozing, brush cutting, timber removal |
| Professional lot clearing | Wooded lot clearing | Root extraction, land grading, site work |
FAQs About Lot Clearing
What is lot clearing?
Lot clearing is the complete removal of all trees, stumps, brush, undergrowth, and debris from a parcel of land. The process includes felling timber, grinding stumps, extracting roots, chipping brush, hauling debris, and grading the cleared surface. The end result is bare, level ground ready for construction, landscaping, or agricultural use.
How long does lot clearing take?
A standard residential lot of one quarter to one half acre with moderate tree cover typically takes two to four days. Larger parcels, heavily wooded acreage, steep terrain, and limited access can extend the timeline to one or two weeks. Our estimator provides a specific schedule during the site survey based on your lot’s conditions.
How much does professional lot clearing cost?
Pricing depends on the lot size, tree density, trunk diameters, terrain difficulty, and debris disposal requirements. A small residential lot with light brush may run a few thousand dollars. A multi acre wooded tract with large hardwoods, stump grinding, and finish grading costs significantly more. We provide free written estimates for every project.
Can you clear a lot without removing certain trees?
Yes. We routinely perform selective lot clearing where specific trees are flagged for preservation. Our crews install tree protection zones around specimens you want to keep and work around them during the clearing and grading phases. Certified arborists on our team ensure preserved trees aren’t damaged by equipment or grade changes.
Do I need a permit for lot clearing?
Most municipalities require clearing permits, especially for parcels with protected tree species, heritage trees, or lots within floodplains and wetland buffer zones. Quick Cut Tree Service handles the permitting process and ensures your lot clearing project meets all local tree ordinance and land use requirements.
Does lot clearing include stump removal?
Every lot clearing job we perform includes stump grinding to below grade. We grind stumps six inches below the soil surface, extract major root structures, backfill the holes with clean fill dirt, and compact the area. No extra charges for standard stump removal on full lot clearing contracts.