land clearing Buffalo NY

Looking to create more yard space or perhaps make room for a new driveway? Then, land clearing makes a crucial task for it.

If the land has tall and large trees that need to be removed, enlist the services of land clearing in Buffalo experts. But if it is a small backyard tree with short trees, you can do the task yourself.

Clearing out your small yard makes for a fun DIY project. This could be a great learning experience for your teenagers. And it could even prove to be an amazing family bonding task.

Here, we have compiled a basic step-by-step guide for efficient DIY land clearing work. Follow these steps and tackle the land clearing task like a pro.

NOTE – Each year hundreds of homeowners are injured and killed while attempting to perform dangerous tree care work. So, we will repeat here again – if your land has difficult trees, hire a land clearing contractor to clear it.

Steps To Clear Out Your Yard

Step 1 – Know The Lay Of Your Land

Contact your local authorities before starting to work on your land. Ask them if there are any utility cables and pipes running underneath your yard. If there are any, get to know its exact location.

This information will guide you on the sort of equipment or method you will be able to use on the land. You may need to avoid excavation in certain areas of the land. Or look to hire a non-destructive digging specialist to conduct hydro excavation around the utilities.

Identify the parts of the yard you want to clear. Note the number of trees in the space. Also, take note of access to the area. Some land clearing machines may be too wide to access your yard.

Contact the local council to check if a permit is required to remove particular trees from your land. Also, check if a “Restrictive Vegetation Protection Order” has been placed on your yard.

Step 2 – Protect Things

Do you have one tree that may have some sentimental value? Or a small area of plants you want to keep forever?

Then, make sure to protect it by putting some small fencing around it before the land clearing task. This will serve as a reminder to avoid it during the clearing work.

Also, if you have tall branches that hang low enough, put red plastic tape markers on them. The view from bulldozers is limited. So, it is quite possible that you may hit those low branches with the bulldozer.

Step 2 – Remove Structures

The first thing you will need to clear in the land clearing task is structures. Find and remove all structures that you do not want in the yard. This applies for –

  • Sheds
  • Old chicken coops
  • Old building
  • Stables

Use a bulldozer to effectively complete this land clearing step. The bulldozer can push, pull, and run things over.

Step 3 – Clear All Bumps And Dumps

Now that you have demolished the structures, now it is a good time to clear everything else. This will give you a safe and clean area to clear out the trees.

Remove everything sticking up above the yard. This includes piles of rocks, large boulders, and junk from the second step.

Step 4 – Knock Down The Trees

Depending on the number and type of trees on your land, there are a few options to take down your trees –

  • First, you could use a hired excavator with either a saw add-on or muncher add-on.
  • Or you can use a lopper to knock or cut down the branches of the tree. Then, use an ax or a chainsaw to knock the tree down to its stump.

NOTE – If the tree is taller than 5m, you must hire an expert tree arborist.

Step 5 – Remove The Tree Stump

Once you are done knocking the trees down to their stumps, it is time to start removing the stump. You can use a stump grinder for it or remove it manually. It all depends on the size of the stump and roots.

To remove the tree stump without a stump grinder, dig around the tree stump. Once you expose the tree’s upper root system, remove the roots with the help of an ax.

From here, cut the lower roots and pull the lower stump out. Lastly, fill in the stump hole with soil.

Step 6 – Fully Clean The Area

Your land at this point shall be pretty much flat. It will have no unwanted trees, no large rocks, or tree stumps.

Get a good picture of how the land is looking at this point. See some weeds? Get a weed trimmer and cut them down to the bare ground level.

If you see some heavy bush, use a brushcutter. Use it to plow through any thick grass growth.

Step 7 – Excavate The Topsoil

The next step in our land clearing task is to clear out the remaining foliage and topsoil. Excavate the topsoil by using a digger, mini-excavator, or excavator.

The digging depth will depend on what your future plans are for the yard. For construction projects, strip around 150 mm deep or 6 inches of soil. Then, fill it with topsoil or a mixture of sand (80%) and loam (20%).

Step 9 – Dispose Off Waste

There are three options when it comes to land clearing waste disposal –

  • The first is to use a trailer or removal truck to transport and dump the waste
  • If there isn’t much garden waste, simply place it into the green bin
  • Or else process the garden waste through a mulcher

Looking Tough? Call (716) 320-7799

If you are finding the DIY land clearing task intimidating, get in touch with Tree Soldiers. Our expert land clearing contractors Buffalo can clear out trees and other vegetation from your land in no time. Also, we offer extremely affordable prices for all our tree care work.

Connect with us to get a free price estimate for your land clearing work!

 

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