Clearing a parcel for a home

[deernutz]

I have a question about having a lot cleared for building a new home. Purchased a 3ac wooded lot and just starting the process for building a home on the property. Just finalized a builder and he is coming out to look at the property on Monday so I will pose this question to him at that point but wanted opinions from people on here.

The property is wooded with mostly mature white oaks with a few large maples thrown in. They are mostly straight and large (I have not have not measure but they look to be 20-30in or more in diameter) I cringe at the thought of just cutting down and burning these oaks. They are so large I am not sure that would even be an option when clearing the lot. What would you do with these trees?

Ideally I would like to have a logging company come in and cut the trees to clear the property prior to excavating. It isnt going to be a huge amount that would need to come down so maybe wouldnt be worth it for the company that is coming out. Probably an acre with what I estimate 15-20 large trees. One barrier I see is the front of the property has a steep bank approx 6 ft high that makes it a little difficult to get into the woods. A road will have to be cut through the bank to get back in the woods. Not sure a logger will want to do that for a small job. Also I would like to have the wood milled for finishing the basement when I do that down the road. Either onsite by a portable mill or at a mill and then delivered back. Myself and the neighbor would cut the tops for firewood. Thanks for any opinions!


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[ChoppyChoppy]

No idea where you are, but around here there are plenty of guys that do land clearing/dirt work. Usually it's billed by the hr.
Lot of the house builders do it as well.

As far as logging it... IE.. you being paid for the trees... maybe if they are nice saw logs. I still wouldn't expect a road punched in for free though.

 

[Guido Salvage]

15 or 20 trees is not worth the time for most loggers. Your best bet is to find someone with a portable band mill to cut them up once your road is in.

 

[Jackbnimble]

First, CONGRATS ON YOUR PURCHASE OF 3 ACRES OF LAND. Nothing like owning a piece of the rock.

Only cut the trees in the way. They preserve the natural look and shade lowers cooling costs. Cut you timbers to length. Then, you can saw them in half/thirds by hand or with a portable mill, making them easier to handle. Stack them. 15 to 20 trees is manageable for one person especially with a helpful neighbor. Excavate a path/driveway and the immediate area of construction.

(Are you building with a full basement? If so, consider dropping hangers and add a course of block if not pouring and increase living space for little extra money.)

When you have the time, you can go back and finish milling the sections of trees you've kept. The rest can be used for firewood.

Most Important: If you take a single word of advice from me, you is in deep doo doo.

 

[Tree Feller]

I agree with above. Only cut the ones you bend too. I have a bout the same amount of land and when I built my house I could not get a logging company to give me the time of day! So I cut what I could use or sell myself and have the stumps grubbed.

 

[ropensaddle]

If you plan to leave any trees near the construction area and don't want them to die in two years call in an arborist. Or at least look up construction damage as grade changes and soil compaction are detrimental to tree health. There are ways to mitigate damage but a strict plan has to be followed
.

 

[northmanlogging]

As a logger...

15 20 trees out here is a couple loads, not sure as far as hardwoods go, maybe one load?

You would likely be better off trading the timber for the clearing, as in logger takes wood and stumps it while roughing in a a road.

As for road building it just part of logging

 

[ryanredvers]

I've cleared a few lots before (2-4 acre) and here are some tips.

definitely hire an arborist with a lot of experience at least for a consultation.

1. tree protection for the remaining trees is challenging. a fence or plywood hoarding around the trees to remain is a good idea to create a tree protection zone. 15 to 20 feet from trunks or 10x the trunk diameter if possible. if not for all the trees then at least for uncommon species and the ones south and west of the house.

another trick is to leave some trees as temporary protection for nearby (3-8' away) permanent trees. this limits driving or soil piling on roots.

2. try to retain trees such that they are closest on the south side of the house and fairly close on the west. especially if you have hot summers.

3. pay a guy to mill the wood locally or on site. probably locally as the wood processing eventually has to be done somewhere else anyway. I used a guy who milled, kiln dried, planed, and tounge and grooved for flooring all at his place. if your trees are really 20 - 30 inch diameter at breast height then there is some good value there. could be 10000 board feet ball park. likely enough for 4000 to 5000 feet of oak floor. white oak is premium.

4. get the arborist to assess the trees closest to the house. Any reduction pruning to mitigate risk is much easier without the house there. spend less now or more later. and don't necessarily remove a tree because of lean or defect. this can usually be mitigated with pruning. get a second opinion if you want to.

5. don't remove the small trees amongst the big ones. these are the next generation. in the first few years you will likely lose several that you wanted to preserve due to construction stress.

6. ideally, locate septic bed to the east so you get morning sun in the house.

7. the arborist may also be able to suggest relocating some of the small trees from the clearance area. especially uncommon species.

love those trees.

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[ArtB]

Same situation as OP 45 years ago, still young and energetic, little $$. Quotes I got for clearing a house site, etc. were as much as I paid for the land back then.

So, bought first dozer back then, old used D2, but it got the job done. Learned a lot, cleared own 600 ft road, used about 15ea 24" DBH plus D fir from road for beams/posts in the house.
Would have been nice to have had a bandmill back then, just stripped the trees and used round for posts and adzed a flat spot for tops of beams.

OP may want to ask builder about using some of the trees in the building, but expect a no answer?

Ended up building it all myself also, as builders did not want to do any custom work without big $$.