Land Clearing
Here at Big Bark Tree Taming we offer land clearing In Sioux Falls and Willmar as well as tree removal. We have covered tree removal on other pages, but land clearing in Sioux Falls is often a much different process than your standard tree removal. We consider a removal more of a precise and delicate process, but when we get into land clearing, it is more about large equipment and making big changes quickly. For example, during a tree removal in Sioux Falls or Willmar, you would often use a bucket truck to slowly piece the tree down and get it on the ground safely, while during a land clearing operation in Sioux Falls the trees are pushed over with a dozer or uprooted with a large excavator. The final product is different and used for different times. We will cover a few of the instances where land clearing is more necessary than your standard tree removal.
When you are clearing large portions of land for future property development or roadways, you need large and heavy equipment to do the job efficiently. This large equipment sets the land clearing apart from a standard tree removal with the large equipment. You get a faster product and a rougher finish on the product. Tree removal is normally performed in a customers yard, whilel land clearing is done out in the woods, where damage does not matter to the final ground. After clearing you can rake and prep the ground for grass seed or future development. Few different methods of land clearing are often used for what we do. Sometimes if the ground is flat and the trees are smaller, bringing in a dozer or track loader with a blade and rake is the best way to go about it. Excavators can have a hard time grubbing up the smaller stringy trees while a dozer can rake and roll them out of the earth and into piles. When you’re on larger projects an excavator is often necessary to dig out one side of a tree’s root system and reach high into the canopy to give the machine plenty of leverage to tip over these big trees. Excavators are also more efficient piling neatly for burning or mulching in the future. A dozer can grade and prep the land more efficiently after the trees have been removed, but the excavator is also great for digging ditches and throwing stumps where they need to be.
We can work directly with you or the developer to figure out the best plan of action for your land clearing Sioux Falls needs. Sometimes it is best to come in and use the scorched earth policy, removing everything and anything that may be in the way of your future development. This is more practical when doing large scale development projects that need a clean slate to start. Another time a plan is helpful is when you are on a smaller basis or clearing land for one individual house. In that case, it is nice to leave some of the large mature trees so that you have shade and canopies in the future, which also increases your properties value to other potential buyers and homebuilders. Knowing what to cut is part of our strategy, leaving desirable trees, while removing invasive and problem trees in the future.
We have the equipment needed for your large scale projects, but we can also help with small land clearing issues. We have forestry mulcher that perform well on smaller invasive, understory trees, opening up your forest floor and beautifying your property while leaving large trees in your traditional forest look. Smaller machines have less ground impact and can reduce the need for grading and repair of the land after we are done.
After removing all the trees from your land clearing project in Sioux Falls, the next step is knowing what to do with all the woody material. Sometimes you may have marketable timber that we will save and will get sent out to Mills to be turned into forest products like veneers, biomass, material, or lumber. All the other non-marketable material may have a few different options depending on your project needs. Burn Piles are a great way to get rid of material quickly and in mass quantities. Being able to pile and burn material on site greatly reduces the time needed for your land clearing project, which saves you money in the end! The ash can be spread over the property afterwards helping repair soil nutrients and fertilizing the ground for future growth. Another option depending on how large the scale of the project is is to bury the material. Burying material is fine on smaller projects but on a large scale, it is often not possible to bury the material in one hole. Another option is to haul all the material offsite. This can be expensive and time-consuming, but is often necessary if your project is in city limits, has different state regulations, or the seasons and weather are not great for burning in general. Depending on the haul length, sometimes we will chip and grind the material before hauling it offsite, reducing the number of trips needed and reducing the amount and size of the material in general. Material can also be spread evenly over the property where it will compost into the ground in the future helping restore that top layer of black soil. This is only applicable when development is not planned for years to come.
Another time you may need land clearing in Sioux Falls instead of tree removal is trying to shape up an old farm Grove. Old groves can become disastrous and dangerous over the years as trees fall over and wind destroys old lines. Land is an expensive investment, so cleaning out these groves so they become usable again can bring great value back to your property. Groves are often infested with invasive species that need to be removed and fallen over, and rotting trees all crossed together in an entangled mess. Sometimes Groves can be saved when we go in and remove all the dangerous and damaged trees and invasive species, but sometimes it is best just to start fresh, removing the old completely and starting from scratch. There is also an inbetween where we will remove the outside rows of a Grove, plant new trees, then when those trees start to reach size remove the other part of the grove, making sure you stay protected from the elements on the farm site while also having a plan for the future..
Whatever your clearing in Sioux Falls needs are, please reach out to us, we can help develop a plan and discuss the exact needs that you have for your property!