The construction industry is one of the largest in the United States today, representing over $1 trillion in market value. Every building today, from hotels and apartment to banks, libraries, and schools are constructed with teams of contractors working together on a project. But before any of that can begin, the land itself needs to be made ready. This is not a glamorous project compared to creating a skyscraper, but brush clearing and hiring residential excavation contractors is no less important for it. Brush clearing, removing tree stumps, checking for buried power lines, and more is quite important for getting the land ready for development. And it’s not just that. Brush clearing or land prep may be done for building a shed, a backyard swimming pool, or even a wooden deck or patio, too. Landscaping like this may call for brush clearing on a small scale.
Clearing Away the Ground
Before any construction project can begin in earnest, the land itself must be purchased, and then made ready for work. Before a single brick or I-beam is put in place, excavating contractors and brush clearing experts may take care of the land first, and this involves the removal of natural obstacles. Nature does not grow plants with construction projects in mind, and in some cases, even the land’s previous owner left behind some natural features that can’t be allowed to stay there. Dead tree stumps, for example, may be found after the full tree had been cut down. But cutting down a tree and removing its dead stump are two different jobs, and some landowners let those tree stumps stay there even after selling the land to a new party. On top of that, the land might have dense underbrush and bushes, weeds, rocks, and the like interrupting the soil, and this will interfere with construction.
The good news is that brush clearing and land prep is made easy when the right contractors are hired. Specialized crews in the area can be found with a relevant online search, such as “tree stump removal contractors near me” or “brush clearing services” along with the client’s ZIP code. Professionals can use rakes and the like to gather fallen tree branches, vines, and the like, and load it all into pickup trucks to haul away. Meanwhile, larger branches can be shredded into wood chips when a wood chipper is towed onto the site, and as a bonus, the resulting wood chips are useful for landscaping projects. And if local laws permit it, and if the crew is careful, they can gather brush and simply burn it. Steps should be taken to ensure that the fire doesn’t spread out of control.
Old, dead tree stumps are another issue entirely. At best, tree stumps may be unsightly on a property, and at worst, they interfere with lawn mowing and construction. But tree stumps are impossible to remove by hand, so certain tools in the hands of professionals are needed. These experts may be hired for landscaping in a client’s backyard, or hired by a construction crew who needs a space cleared for foundation excavation and concrete pouring.
Experts may excavate around the tree stump to reveal all of its roots, and the stump may be chained to a powerful truck and simply pulled out of the ground and hauled away. There will be an unsightly hole left, but that hole can be easily filled with dirt, and grass may be planted there if desired. Another option is stump grinding, where a large machine is placed over the tree stump and simply shreds it into wood chips, a larger-scale version of branch mulching. The upside to this is that this job is faster and easier than removing the stump entirely, and it results in a pile of wood chips that are useful for landscaping. This is a great option for landscaping in a client’s backyard. However, doing so leaves the roots, which take years to rot away on their own. For prepping a piece of land for development, those roots may be an issue, so stump removal may be done instead. This removes absolutely all obstacles to digging and pouring a foundation for the upcoming building.