Land clearing is the process of removing natural or manmade obstacles from an area of land in order to utilize them for other purposes. The land is cleared of trees, brush, stones, stumps, and other materials for farming, ranching, construction, or commercial use.
What equipment is used for land clearing?
Before the clearing process, a contractor will first study the following:
- Moisture levels
- Soil stability
- Species habitation
- Type of terrain
- Vegetation density
Through the collection of this information, contractors can then make environmental assessments and whether the land is fit for clearing. They will then select the proper equipment and machinery to work around these conditions.
Some contractors will utilize excavation mulchers, tracked or wheeled mulchers, and skid steer tractors with mulching attachments. The average land clearing project will also require other tools that an experienced clearing company should have on hand.
What is manual land clearing?
As its title suggests, manual land clearing is the removal of unwanted or hazardous vegetation using hand tools such as chainsaws or GCRS. Other manual clearing equipment and machinery include bucket trucks and spider lifts used to remove what has been cut down. These discarded items are loaded into grapple trucks or roll-offs for transportation. Manual land clearing allows contractors to be more precise when removing vegetation.
How long does it take to clear one acre of land?
While dozens of environmental factors such as changes in weather or extreme circumstances can affect the amount of time it takes to clear land, clearing one acre will usually take 3 to 4 hours with the right amount of manpower and equipment. Other factors that may affect the time and cost of a land clearing job include:
- The size of the lot being cleared
- The purpose of preparation
- The density of vegetation
- The amount and size of natural obstacles to remove
- The travel time to and from the land and ease of access to contractors
How does land clearing affect the soil?
On a small scale, land clearing for backyards and gardens have a much smaller impact on the environment than agricultural or construction-related land clearing. To prevent negatively impacting the soil conditions of healthy land, avoiding land clearing altogether is the best solution. However, as cities expand and businesses grow, professionals become responsible for coming up with practical land clearing solutions that reduce environmental effects.
One method is to clear smaller tracts at one time and to replant vegetation immediately to avoid soil erosion. Other contractors might choose to purchase the adjacent land in order to create a wetland to relocate vegetation and native species. This attempts to balance the gain and loss of land clearing.
Based on the location and size of the cleared land, here are other ways to positively benefit the land (and help owners earn a little on the side) once it’s been cleared for its main purpose.
- Farming: Owners can produce plants and crops to sell or use the land as an educational farm for local schools.
- Environmental Farming: Owners can collaborate with local businesses, communities, and energy providers to create solar and wind power options.
- Self-Storage Facilities: Owners can construct storage units and rent them out.
- Horses and Livestock: Owners can construct stables to rent or offer riding lessons to nearby communities.
- Raise Other Livestock: Owners can raise alpaca and sheep for wool production or goats for milk production and “mowing” lots.
- Sports Fields: Owners can convert excess land into sports fields used for baseball, soccer, or softball and rent them out to youth or adult leagues.
- Shooting Range or Paintball Course: Owners can design and rent activity courses to rent out to individuals and groups.
- Camp Ground or Glamping Facilities: Owners can set up amenities with proper electrical and water resources to support camping or glamping.
- Photography Studio: Owners can design and construct photo opportunities or create a portrait studio.
- Parking Lot: Owners can provide parking spaces in areas where parking is minimal or non-existent, close to venues that attract large crowds and lots of guests.
Conclusion
Land clearing is a major step towards growing your local business. To ensure that you are getting the best type of service, work with us at ATL Tree Work! We are an experienced local team that offers land clearing in Duluth, GA. Get in touch with us today to see how we can help.
