Free tool
Land clearing assessment
10 plain questions about what is growing, what the ground is for and where it is. The result names the method that fits, lists the answers that decided it and says what to do next.
Your land, in 10 answers
Your result
Answer the questions and the result appears here.
Each answer is matched against fixed rules, and the result lists the answers that decided it.
How the result is decided
The rules run in a fixed order, and the first one that matches decides the result. Safety comes first: trees near a power line go to the electric utility, and a tree that could fall on a house is an arborist's job.
Protected places come next. Tall, old cedar mixed with oaks under a closed canopy may be golden-cheeked warbler habitat, and surveys only count from March 15 to June 1, so that question is settled before any method is chosen. A creek, spring or floodplain comes next: around Salado the creek is Salado salamander habitat, and in Temple's I-35 corridor overlay larger trees near the floodplain are protected. The warbler guide explains the habitat question.
Then the use of the ground decides. Land for a slab, driveway or pad needs grubbing, because roots left in place rot and settle; lot clearing covers it. Mostly mesquite points to mesquite removal, grubbed below the bud zone. Keeping the best trees points to selective clearing. Grass and soft brush can be shredded as part of brush clearing. Brush and young cedar on land that stays open suit forestry mulching.
The result is a planning guide, not an inspection: it does not judge tree health, soil or what is under the ground. To put a number on the method, try the land clearing cost estimator.
Get an estimate for your land
A walk of the property confirms the method, marks the trees that stay and lists the rules that apply before any machine arrives.