Purchasing land with heavy foliage within may prohibit use of the land for future projects and can be detrimental to the land’s health. Land clearing is necessary at this point to get your land back to the best health possible. Hiring a land clearing company is the recommended route to take due to efficiency, experience, and expertise. Knowing how land clearing is done and the costs will give you insight into the best land clearing company to hire and how to start bringing back your land’s vitality.
What Is Land Clearing?
Land clearing is the development of land for health, environmental safety, agriculture, and any future construction projects on the land. It focuses primarily on natural wildlife being removed but can include man-made structures.
Land clearing can be considered a form of demolition since it involves clearing the land by demolishing the existing greenery but it’s separated into its own category as it’s mainly used for reducing vegetation, plants, and foliage on the site.
How To Know If You Need Land Clearing
If you’re wondering if you need land clearing, then there’s a couple of factors to consider that will give you insight. If anything listed below is present on your land, then you may need land clearing to bring vitality and safety back to your land.
- Environmental Obstructions
- Man-made obstacles (ex. abandoned building)
- Hazardous Greenery
- Dead trees and/or rotting wood
- Diseased vegetation
- Overcrowded vegetation
- Unwanted plants and/or trees
- Pests (ex. Ticks)
Any of these being present can call for land clearing. It ultimately depends on what you plan to use the land for, but the more extreme of these (i.e., diseased vegetation, pests) makes land clearing a necessity. Land clearing can be used for reasons other than bringing health back to land, such as reducing the possibility of future risks and increasing the value of the land. Overgrown wildlife increases the risk of a wildfire and can spread easily to any surrounding land and/or structures. However, land clearing services can eliminate this risk which can increase the value of the land. On top of that, land clearing can be used to enhance the aesthetic which also increases value.
Why Land Clearing Is Important
Land clearing helps bring health and safety back to the land and it opens the opportunity for future projects on the land. Having obstacles on the land, man-made or environmental, halt future projects as they bring all types of problems. This can be avoided with land clearing since it’s a form of demolition. Land clearing will get rid of all those obstacles and make way for a new structure you may want to build.
Hazards like overcrowded vegetation, diseased or dead vegetation or pests will reduce the land’s health significantly, making land clearing a necessity. Overcrowded, diseased or dead vegetation bring fire hazards to the land. Pests alone bring a huge risk as they can spread to surroundings, so using land clearing is necessary as it gets rid of their possible natural nesting areas. Reducing these health/safety risks and clearing the way for future structures is important and are the most common reasons for land clearing.
The Importance of Land Clearing in Agriculture
Land clearing plays a big role in agriculture as it promotes growth and improves soil health. For agricultural purposes, this is extremely important. Overgrown, diseased, or unwanted vegetation will reduce the land’s and stop agricultural growth. Pests being present means any vegetation grown can become infected. Land clearing not only eliminates this risk for proper growth conditions but also improves the soil’s health by distributing the soil evenly as overgrown plants can cause soil erosion and additionally promotes growth since the overcrowding of wild vegetation can take the nutrients meant for new vegetation.
How Is Land Clearing Done
To begin with, hiring a local land clearing contractor is the best route to take as the safety/health risks are too significant. Even with knowledge and skills, the improper usage of equipment can put you at unnecessary risk.
Land clearing first starts with the land clearing contractor surveying the land’s current condition. Knowing the health/safety risks that are present help decide the equipment that will be used in the process. The future usage of the land is also considered since different projects may be planned and this requires different equipment to prepare for said future use.
Once the land’s condition has been surveyed, the future use is decided, and all safety/health risks are assessed, the equipment is chosen. Excavators, mulchers, tracked mulching units, wheeled mulching units, and skid steer tractors are commonly used for land clearing. Hand tools are used quite often as well, since larger machinery can’t fit into small spaces. Chainsaws, axes, bow saws, stump grinders, and weed whackers are commonly used for the areas that may be dangerous for large machinery. Safety equipment is also factored in with high-visibility vests, hardhats, masks, eye protection, gloves, and steel toe boots being standard in the field.
All equipment chosen and land surveyed, the land clearing contractor will go in with their team and begin work. The process varies from site to site but generally involves removing all the unwanted/hazardous wildlife contained within the land, followed by an evening out of the land for future usage.
Why You Need to Hire a Professional Land Clearing Contractor
You may think you can take on a land clearing job by yourself but there’s a reason we have land clearing professionals. With many different safety hazards and dangerous wildlife/pests that may be present, you will not have the equipment on hand for such a job. Even with the necessary knowledge, you need the proper equipment. Buying or renting the equipment may end up costing you more in time and money, than if you were to hire a professional. Land clearing contractors have the equipment ready for all types of jobs and prepare for ample time before beginning the project.
Along with this, they have the experience and expertise necessary to do the job efficiently. One simple error, such as missing diseased vegetation, can make all the previous work redundant. Land clearing companies make sure to get everything hazardous out of the area for you. The time you save, the money you save, your safety, surrounding structures and public safety, and your land’s health are all reasons for hiring a professional land clearing contractor.
How Much Land Clearing Cost in 2021
The average cost of land clearing is $1.75 to $3.00 per square foot. This average is a good basis to go on, however, factors such as safety/health risks, size of the land, the total volume of foliage, and time of year can increase the price. A small site with little greenery will cost much less than an acre of woods with heavy vegetation.
Keep in mind that many land clearing contractors may have fixed rates for larger pieces of land, as going by square footage can become messy. Although a fixed rate may sound desirable, it can be quite expensive, ranging from $3500 to $7000 per acre of land. Once again, it all depends on the amount of vegetation/wildlife present on your land and the prices that your local land clearing contractor may offer.
Land clearing is very important even if it’s not well known to the average person, so make sure you take the necessary steps to get the land clearing services you need. Knowing the costs and how the process is done helps with deciding on the contractor to hire. When you think you need land clearing, make sure to contact professional land clearing contractors near you. They can help you with surveying the site and finding the best service for your land. If you’re looking for land clearing services in Windsor, Ontario, contact RKS Services Group Inc for a free quote on your land clearing project. With expertise and over 20 years of experience, RKS Services Group Inc can help you out with your next project.