At some point, you may want to clear a tree and brush-covered property, making way for new construction or fresh landscaping.

Clearing unwanted trees and brush may sound like a simple, straightforward task, but it is often a complex undertaking that, if not executed correctly, can lead to lasting damage, excessive tree loss, unnecessary expense, and extensive follow-up work.

Detailed Planning Is The Key Start To Successful Land Clearing

The first step to any land-clearing project is to assess the state of the lot and then establish clear, thorough objectives. The planning necessary for clearing a lot simply to “open it up” for a homeowner may not be nearly as involved as the planning needed to prepare land for a residential or commercial development.

As part of this planning, a property owner must understand his or her objectives, including:

• What, if any construction is planned to be done on this land?
• What types of buildings, if any, will be built on this lot?
• Will these buildings need utilities such as gas, electric, water, sewer and telecommunications, and is any utility infrastructure currently in place on the site? If so, what type, where is it located and will it be sufficient to support the planned construction?
• Will roads, driveways or parking lots be part of the new construction? If so, to what extent and how will they impact stormwater run-off and drainage?

The ultimate use of the property will dictate to a great extent the nature of the clearing project. Having a detailed plan designed to achieve the objectives you or a developer has in mind for the land will ensure an efficient, well-executed clearing project completed in the most cost-effective manner possible.

Know Which Trees Are Being Preserved

Not every land or lot clearing project requires every single tree to be removed. In fact, many cities and municipalities have regulations strictly requiring that either a specific percentage of existing trees be preserved or that they be replaced with a similar number of trees. Planning and zoning regulations have steadily evolved in recent years, placing great value on trees and green space. Also, even if a piece of land is not to be developed, many local governments regulate how many trees may be removed from a lot – even in some cases, a residential lot. Many of these governments employ arborists or urban foresters to work with property owners and to aid in enforcing these regulations.

This means deciding which trees – if any – should be preserved as part of the planning for the site.

In addition, our ISA Certified Arborists and land clearing crews are skilled at identifying the root zones of different species of trees, ensuring any digging or other potential stress factors do not harm trees that are designated for preservation as part of a lot clearing project as many species don’t tolerate construction-related stress and disruptions. They will work with you and/or builders to protect trees selected for preservation and save them as part of construction planning.

We Protect The Health Of Trees

Unfortunately, trees and construction are not a great combination. Trees can be stressed or damaged – heavily in some cases – by routine construction work that may at first glance seem to pose little or no threat to trees. It’s important to provide a high level of protection for those trees that are to be preserved. The most common injuries to trees include:

• Trunk injuries and broken branches from heavy equipment or poor pruning.
• Torn and ripped roots from activities like grading, trenching, and digging.
• Heavy equipment compacting the soil, resulting in inhibited root growth and water and oxygen penetration. This damage may not create immediate visible damage but can begin a slow death spiral caused by root loss. Once soil is compacted, it will in most cases be slow to break down over time, affecting soil for years.

To avoid these construction injuries to your trees, contact Hansen’s Tree Service and let our ISA Certified Arborists help you plan your construction project. Our arborists have years of experience working with homeowners, developers, engineers, architects, and contractors. They are highly skilled at balancing the needs of construction projects with the needs of trees.

In addition, our experienced certified arborists will use their experience to determine which trees can and cannot be preserved and help you in the early planning stages. And they will clear the land in a responsible way.

For example, controlling traffic around the trees is an excellent way to prevent damage to them. Our arborists carefully plan equipment and foot routes around trees to prevent equipment from damaging the tree. Putting up barriers around desirable trees is another effective way to limit soil compaction and reduce tree damage. In fact, barriers are often required. An experienced certified arborist will make sure barriers are in the correct place to minimize disturbance.

Getting The Job Done Efficiently

Once the construction planning is complete and trees designated for preservation are selected and marked, Hansen’s commercial land clearing and grinding service experts will convert trees to be removed and brush-filled property into an open area properly prepared for either development or new landscaping. We recognize the need for efficient and thorough completion of land clearing.

So, we take into consideration factors such as location and accessibility when planning tree and brush removal and land clearing. In many cases, our land clearing specialists may be able to down these trees and then use one of our large mobile tub grinders to grind the debris into chips or mulch. But if your location isn’t accessible to large equipment, a tree crew will work at the site to take down the trees and chip them with smaller wood chipping units.

In all situations, we use the best possible equipment available. This equipment includes:

• CBI horizontal grinders which streamline the land clearing and grinding process by grinding entire trees simultaneously. This grinder features a track system, which enables it to travel on nearly any type of rough terrain.
• Our Vermeer tub grinders remove piled brush and root wads, which means you won’t have to deal with removing leftover stumps. The large grapple arm on these machines picks up large clumps of debris simultaneously to exponentially increase land clearing efficiency.
• The TimberAxe Land Clearing Mower has tracked skid-steer capabilities to provide efficient, economical, and low-impact land clearing for all types of vegetation less than four inches in diameter.

Safety Matters

Nothing matters more than safety. It’s a fact that tree removal and tree care are some of the most dangerous professions in the U.S. Recognizing the inherent dangers that come with felling large, extremely heavy trees, and with using equipment such as chainsaws, large scale grinders and chippers, we take every precaution to ensure the safety of our professionals and that of our customers.

Lot clearing also features its own inherent risks. Overhead powerlines and a range of buried utility infrastructure components including gas lines and powerlines can make digging, tree clearing and using heavy equipment extremely hazardous. Recognizing these hazards, we work carefully with utility companies serving the St. Louis and Springfield areas, as well as those throughout the state.

We Minimize Damage To Your Property

We recognize the need to not only clear your land, but also to do so with little if any damage to your property. While land clearing involves heavy equipment which can leave its mark on your land, we take every step possible to eliminate unnecessary damage. We believe in responsible land clearing – period. Hansen’s guarantees professional, reliable land clearing services by:

• Grinding, not burning: Grinding trees ensures that our land clearing projects are controlled and safe.
• Using low-impact machines: Minimal soil disturbance makes future landscaping and development easier.
• Selective clearing: We only clear the trees and brush you want to be cleared.

We Clean Your Cleared Land

Once vegetation has been removed, our land clearing specialists will haul everything to our green resource recycling plant. You are left with a completely clear and clean lot, and you can be confident we’ve cleared your land in the most environmentally-friendly way possible.

Our Service Doesn’t Always End With Cleared Land

After your land is cleared and any of your planned construction is completed, we are ready to continue caring for your remaining – or new – trees. We’re fully prepared to monitor the ongoing health of your trees and provide you with a full array of tree health services including:

• Mulching
• Pruning
• Dynamic tree cabling and limb support
• Tree risk assessment
• Plant health care and diagnosis

These services are designed to keep your landscaping, trees, shrubs and plants healthy and thriving. safe trees.

Do You Need Land Cleared? Call Hansen’s Tree Service Today!

Clearing land can be a complex, potentially hazardous undertaking, one best undertaken by skilled, experienced, and insured professionals. Let the professionals at Hansen’s Tree Service help you with your lot clearing project. Contact us today and request a consultation with an arborist before you begin your lot clearing or building project to ensure the job is done professionally, safely and in a way that achieves all of your objectives.