When you have plans for an overgrown lot in southwestern Mississippi, land clearing and excavation help prepare it for development. In addition to determining how you want to use the newly cleared space, you need to budget accordingly. Removing vegetation, land grading, debris removal, and disposal are all part of the land-clearing process.
Learn more about the factors affecting the cost of land clearing in Mississippi and what you can expect to pay.
Size of the Lot Being Cleared
When estimating the cost of clearing a lot, the primary factor is the size of the space. As a general estimate, you can expect to pay $1,500 to a few thousand dollars per acre for clearing.
If you need to clear multiple acres, you may pay $10,000 or more for the work, whereas clearing less than half an acre might cost less.
If you’re clearing a larger lot, you might receive a cheaper per-acre price than removing vegetation from a smaller lot. The company doing the clearing work will have a fixed cost for the time and fuel needed to transport the equipment to the site.
Thickness of the Vegetation
The thickness of vegetation growing on the parcel plays a role in the cost of land clearing. If you have a lot of large trees on the site, it will take longer to cut them down and remove them than just bushes and weeds.
The cost to remove thick trees and vegetation can be $1,000 or more per acre higher than land with minimal vegetation.
Forestry Mulching vs. Traditional Clearing
When estimating the price of land clearing for your Mississippi lot, you’ll have to weigh the costs of forestry mulching vs. traditional clearing.
How Forestry Mulching Works
Forestry mulching is generally the more economical of the two, as it requires only a mulcher to do the majority of the work. This one machine chews up brush, saplings, weeds, and other overgrowth, leaving the debris on the land to provide nutrients and organic material. When you want to maintain a habitat for native plants and wildlife, this process delivers rich soil for natural plant and animal life to thrive.
Forestry mulching works equally well for general land-clearing jobs and for managing wetlands. Many people use it to clear rights-of-way, too. The forestry mulching machine is an efficient tool that provides excellent results at a reasonable cost in the right situation.
How Traditional Land Clearing Works
Traditional land clearing is appropriate in areas where large trees and boulders make forestry mulching difficult. Some of the equipment and processes used in traditional clearing include:
- Bulldozers
- Chainsaws
- Blasting materials
- Cranes
- Dump trucks
Because of the way traditional land clearing affects the ground, you may experience changes afterward in water movement on the property. Erosion might become problematic after heavy rain. You might need land-grading and dirt-moving services to restore the earth after professionals do traditional land clearing.
Grading the Land To Improve Drainage
Excavation services are important for managing drainage. Improper land grading could leave water standing after a rainstorm, providing a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Land-clearing services help keep natural waterways flowing properly by removing downed trees that might be blocking creeks.
If you’re looking to grade the property for a new building or agricultural project, the clearing company can meet your needs. You will pay extra for this.
It’s important to remember that the flow of water across the graded property may change after clearing the land. By hiring professionals for the work, they can anticipate how the grading and removal of vegetation will affect the flow of water and plan accordingly.
Removing Debris From the Property
If you want the land-clearing company to haul the leftovers off your property, expect to pay several hundred to a few thousand dollars more. Burning the debris or mulching it on-site is cheaper than hauling it.
Large logs and boulders are expensive to transport, as the land-clearing company will incur significant fuel and labor costs, especially if they need to make multiple trips.
Depending on the plans you have for the cleared lot, hauling debris might be the only option. Your land-clearing company can give you some ideas to help save money, such as leaving a few boulders behind for use in the landscaping.
Rely on HECK Services LLC for Competitively Priced Land Clearing in Mississippi
At HECK Services LLC, we are the local experts you can trust for excavation and land clearing. We provide an accurate estimate of the land-clearing cost per acre based on your project’s requirements. We’re based in Brookhaven, Mississippi, and have more than 10 years of experience serving our neighbors in the region.
For a free price quote for your project, contact us today at (601) 440-2527. We’ll explain the factors affecting land-clearing prices when we provide our quote.
