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Land Clearing

What you need to know about land clearing. 

The least expensive way to clear land would be to put some goats inside a good strong fence and walk away.  Eventually, they’ll eat all the undergrowth around the larger trees.  The goats can reach places that machinery can’t.  Later the goats can be sold and the trees harvested.  Then all that needs to be done is to get rid of the stumps.      
However, if you don’t have time to wait for the goats to munch, you might try calling FTM.  We’re faster and we can even get rid of the stumps!

Bulldozing is a cost-effective method of clearing land.  Use a bulldozer to completely clear an area of land after it has been harvested. The bulldozer  pushes  away left over debris and can push over stumps and fairly small trees and bushes.  There are some things to consider:

• Topsoil is lost when it attaches itself to the roots of stumps that are pushed away. 
• Debris pushed away by the bulldozer has to go somewhere or you will have huge piles of “eyesore” that are hard to get rid of. The debris piles need to dry for several months before burning them.  Because of all the dirt that is involved, the piles are hard to burn. You could consider burying the pile of debris, but this will require having a place to bury it.

Mulching machine land clearing is more expensive but it is a good method if you have an area to clear with trees that are 8 inches or less in diameter or  are clearing an area around larger trees.  Larger mulching machines cost more per hour than smaller machines, but work faster clearing land.  The upside of mulching is: 

• A mulch machine knocks over small trees, bushes, and brush and grinds them into mulch. There is nothing left to pile up or burn.
• The soil is not damaged during mulch clearing; instead the debris is ground into  the  soil. 
• Some mulching machines are small and will fit between large trees. 

How much does land clearing cost?

There are many ways to price land clearing.  Locally, contractors price by the hour.  But how does a contractor arrive at the hourly rate?  Generally, land clearing cost estimates can be calculated per square foot; the national average at $1.34 - $1.94 per square foot in 2014.   Estimates include material costs, unit labor productivity rates and hourly labor wages.   The General Contractor fee for organizing and supervising the project are 12.1% to 19.3% (national average).   These costs are averaged by the amount of time the contractor believes the project requires, from experience, to arrive at the hourly rate.  The base cost estimate includes:

• Costs for material / equipment delivery to and service provider transportation to and from the job site.
• Sales tax on materials and supplies.
• Costs to prepare the worksite for Land Clearing, including costs to protect existing structure(s), finishes, materials and components.
• Costs for job cleanup and debris removal at project completion.
• Labor setup time, mobilization time and minimum hourly charges that are commonly included for small Land Clearing jobs.
• Permit or inspection fees (or portion thereof) required by your local building department for your overall project.

For particular job descriptions, the estimate may include other items.  For instance, if the land clearing project includes removing an old house from the premises in an urban area, the location may call for other materials and equipment: 

• An on-site dumpster
• Filing for, and pulling a demolition permit
• Debris hauling
• Debris disposal (including dump fees)
• Asbestos containment, abatement, and disposal (unlikely)
• Complete basement removal including all foundation materials
• Fill (dirt or aggregate) delivery, compaction, and grading
• Seeding or sod

FTM Construction can work up a fair estimate for your project.