Land Clearing in West Alabama
When the timber is bigger than a mulcher can take, or the stumps have to come out, the dozer goes to work. Trees pushed, roots raked out, debris burned or hauled, and the ground put back level.
Land Clearing, Start to Finish
You bought a wooded lot, or you have timber standing where you want a house, a shop, a barn or a plowed field. A mulcher will not get you there. Anything that gets built on, dug or disced needs the stumps and root balls out of the ground, because roots left under a slab rot and settle. That is land clearing, or site clearing when a builder says it: heavy machines, real timber, and bare graded dirt when it is done.
Clearing starts where the mulcher stops, at roughly six to eight inches on the stump, and goes up from there. The Cat dozer pushes the timber. The root rake combs stumps and root balls out of the dirt. The excavator lifts the big stumps whole and reaches the trees a dozer cannot get behind. Then the debris is windrowed and either burned on site where that is allowed or loaded out. Both ways are priced so you can pick.
Down South is a land clearing company based in Berry. We clear land across Fayette, Walker, Tuscaloosa, Marion, Lamar, Pickens, Cullman and Winston counties with our own machines. Estimates are free and priced off the property after a look. If you own land here and live somewhere else, we can go over it with you on satellite first. Call or text (205) 535-6376 with the county, the rough acreage and what is standing on it.
What a clearing job covers
- Timber past the mulcher's range pushed
- Stumps and root balls raked out whole
- Debris windrowed, then burned or hauled
- Stump holes filled and ground graded
- Keeper trees marked and worked around
- Fall set so water leaves the site
What we clear
Most clearing jobs are one of a few things. A house site on a wooded lot: see lot clearing for new homes. Ground for a shop, a barn or a mobile home. Timber land being turned into pasture you plan to plow. A commercial lot or a laydown yard. A steep lake lot on Smith Lake or Lake Tuscaloosa that needs a drive in and a flat place to build. Half an acre behind a house is a normal job, and so is a big family tract. Sometimes the trees are already gone and only the stumps are in the way. That is stump removal, and the excavator handles it.
How the job runs
We walk it with you first, or look at it on satellite if you are not local, and settle what comes out and what stays. Mark the trees you want kept: shade hardwoods, a line of pines along the road, the oak that is older than the house. Everything runs on tracks and arrives on a trailer, so the gate, any bridge and the first hundred feet of the drive decide how the job starts. Tell us about them when you call. Then the timber gets pushed, the roots get raked, and the material is windrowed out of the way. Wet ground means waiting, or working slower so the site is not torn up.
Burn it or haul it
Once the debris is in windrows, it is your call. Burning on site costs less and is what most rural jobs do, but it depends on the weather, the county and how close the pile sits to anything that matters. The Alabama Forestry Commission issues burn permits by phone through its dispatch center, and burn restrictions come and go with dry weather, so check before a match is struck. Hauling costs more, is cleaner and does not wait on a burn day. We price both before you decide. For how the options stack up, see what land clearing costs in Alabama and what moves the price.
Then it gets put back level
Clearing that stops when the trees are down leaves a rough, rutted, stump-holed piece of ground you still cannot use. We finish it. Holes filled, ground pulled back to grade, spoil spread or stacked where you want it, and the fall running the way it needs to so water leaves the site instead of standing on it. You get bare dirt you can drive across, build on or put a disc in. Bare dirt does not stay put for long, so plan what goes on it next. On a slope, clear only what has to be bare and mulch the rest. Not sure which you need? Read forestry mulching vs bulldozing.
Real Job Photos
Phone pictures from real jobs, captioned with what they show. See more recent work.
Land Clearing Questions
Not seeing yours? Call or text (205) 535-6376 and ask.
- What Land Clearing and Forestry Mulching Cost in Alabama
- Do You Need a Burn Permit to Burn Brush in Alabama?
- What to Ask a Land Clearing Contractor Before You Hire One
- How Long Does It Take to Clear an Acre of Land?
- Best Time of Year to Clear Land in Alabama
- Do You Need a Permit to Clear Land in Alabama?
- What Is the Cheapest Way to Clear Land?
- Should You Sell the Timber Before You Clear? An Alabama Guide
- Clearing a Lake Lot in Alabama: What to Know Before You Cut
- All guides
Who do I call to clear land?
Call a land clearing contractor that runs its own dozer, excavator and mulcher, so one outfit takes the trees down, gets the stumps out, burns or hauls the debris and grades the ground. Have the county, the rough acreage, what is standing on it and what you want the land to become. In west Alabama, call or text Down South at (205) 535-6376. The estimate is free after a look at the property.
How long does it take to clear an acre of wooded land with a dozer?
It depends on what is on it. An acre of saplings and an acre of mature hardwood are different jobs. Tree size, how thick the stand is, slope, how wet the ground is and whether the debris burns or leaves on a truck all move the time. Clearing with the stumps out and the ground graded takes longer than mulching. We would rather look at your ground than guess at it.
Do I need a permit before a dozer clears my lot in west Alabama?
It depends on where the land is and what the work touches. ADEM runs a construction stormwater permit for land disturbance of one acre or more, and for smaller pieces that are part of a larger development. Work in a wetland or a stream is a question for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Cities and lake shorelines have rules of their own. Check with your county or city office before work starts. We clear to the limits your permit sets.
Can you clear land and leave the trees I want to keep?
Yes. Say which ones before the dozer starts. Mark them with ribbon or paint, or walk the property with us and point them out. Shade hardwoods near the house site, a screen of pines along the road and a big oak in the yard are all easy to work around when we know ahead of time. Show us where the drive and the building go too, so the keepers end up where you want them.
I live out of state. Can you clear my Alabama land while I am away?
Yes. We can go over the property with you on satellite and get close on price before anybody drives anywhere, then look at it on the ground before work starts. Send the county, the parcel or the nearest road, and what you want the land to become. Small jobs carry a minimum to cover moving the machines, and you hear that figure before you commit to anything.
How a Job Runs
Tell Us What You Have
Call, text or send the form. County, rough acreage, what is growing on it and how a truck and trailer gets in.
We Look at the Ground
Close by, we come and look. Farther off, we can go over it with you on satellite first, then see it on the ground before the work starts.
A Number to Plan Around
Estimates are free and priced off the property. Small jobs carry a minimum, and you hear the figure before you commit.
The Machines Go to Work
We settle what comes out and what stays. Mark the trees you want kept, or walk it with us and point them out.
Finished, Not Just Knocked Down
Holes filled, ground pulled back to grade, and the fall set so water leaves the site instead of standing on it.
Land Clearing Near You
Based in Berry, in Fayette County. Eight west Alabama counties. Pick your county or town, or call or text and ask.
Towns
Pages for your town
Specific land clearing jobs
Stump Removal
Stumps and root balls pulled out whole, holes filled, ground graded level.
DetailsLot Clearing
Wooded house lots and lake lots cleared, drive roughed in, ready for the pad.
DetailsMore services
Underbrush Removal
Privet, briars and saplings mulched out from under the trees you are keeping.
DetailsTree Removal
Dead, leaning and storm-damaged trees taken down by machine, stumps pulled, ground left level.
DetailsExcavating
Footings, trenches, culverts, stumps and the digging jobs that have no name.
DetailsNeed Land Clearing?
Call or text, or send a few details. Estimates are free and priced off the property.