Who Is the Best Land Clearing Company Near Des Moines for Large Properties?

Mike Downer: Hello, everybody. Welcome to The Sawdust Sessions. I am your host, Mike Downer, and I am once again joined by Zach Miller and Jack Wadden of Central Tree Pros. Gentlemen, how are we doing today?

Zach Miller: I’m pretty good. How about yourself?

Mike Downer: Doing great. We’re going to be talking about clearing land today, specifically the best land clearing companies near Des Moines for large properties.

I know you guys do land clearing, and what we’re going to be talking about is what land clearing on a large property actually involves and how it’s different from a standard tree removal. I know those are two different things when you’re clearing land versus just pulling a tree down.

Let me jump right into this. What should someone look for in a land clearing company for a large property?

Zach Miller: There are a lot of different options they can go with. It depends on whether they just want the trees cut down or if they want the place completely leveled, with all the stumps and debris taken out, so they can build a house.

There are a lot of different reasons someone might want land clearing done. Maybe they just want the backyard cleared out more so they can get more sunlight, or maybe they want four acres completely cleared so they can build a house. If they want to build a house, we completely level it and get all the stumps out so they can actually start building something on it.

Jack Wadden: A good key point is to go into it with a clear plan, like he was saying. Know what you want done so you can keep the cost as effective as possible.

Make sure the company has the equipment you need based on your goals. Don’t just call and vaguely explain what you want, then say, “Let’s start here and try this, then try that.” Go into it with a clear idea of the end goal.

It’s also important for the company to actually see what you’re trying to clear out instead of just talking you through it. They should go there, meet with you, see what they’re getting into, and understand what equipment is actually needed for the job.

Mike Downer: That makes complete sense. Like you were saying, if you’re going to be building a house, you’re going to have underground work going on, like digging foundations, plumbing, electrical, sewer, and all kinds of different things. You definitely don’t want a stump right in the middle of where you’re building a house. That would cause a few problems.

Zach Miller: A little bit.

Mike Downer: Or I guess, if you’re going to clear your basement, you could just have it right in the middle of your basement. You could put a little planter on it.

Jack Wadden: Make it a poker table, right?

Mike Downer: There you go. Most wives would love that. A big tree stump right in the middle of the house.

Zach Miller: That might be the definition of a tree house.

Mike Downer: Now you guys are giving me an idea. I might have to have you cut me a piece of a big stump and put it in my basement.

Jack Wadden: We’ll bring it right in through the basement doors. Don’t worry.

Mike Downer: Awesome. Oh boy. I hope my wife doesn’t watch this one.

Let’s get back on topic here. What’s the difference between land clearing and just a standard multi-tree removal?

Zach Miller: Land clearing tends to be anything over maybe ten trees. At that point, you’re clearing out the property for a reason.

Regular tree removal tends to be a tree that’s an inconvenience. It might be dead, dying, diseased, or coming down for some other reason. That tends to be more of a removal.

Land clearing usually involves bringing in excavators, hauling debris off in bulk, or maybe grinding it up on site. Everything is processed on site for land clearing, versus regular removal, where you take the tree down and haul it off.

Mike Downer: That makes complete sense. What equipment does a large clearing job require that a residential removal doesn’t?

Jack Wadden: Typically, you want something like an excavator and probably a big mulcher. You need to be able to get a trailer on site or get a semi out there.

Most people don’t want an excavator in their yard, but if we’re clearing out a big area, we need something bigger to process everything a lot faster. Instead of using a mini skid loader or something smaller, you want to get in and out quicker and process bigger material.

Mike Downer: So, stump grinders?

Zach Miller: Not usually, because we tend to dig the stumps out.

Mike Downer: Oh, you just dig them out?

Zach Miller: Yep. We bring in side dumps and start hauling those out, along with the logs. We bring in side dumps, semis, whole-tree grinders, excavators, big skid loaders, and dozers. It tends to be a much bigger project than just taking one tree out.

Mike Downer: That makes sense. Stump grinding is a tedious process, isn’t it?

Zach Miller: Oh, yeah.

Mike Downer: It’s probably way easier when you just get that excavator and pull it out. That’s going to be satisfying, though, to pull that big stump up and see all the roots and dirt falling off.

Jack Wadden: Typically, with those smaller machines, you can’t even do it because those root balls are so heavy. You can’t get all the way around them, and they won’t just push over. You have to dig around them and pop them out.

Mike Downer: See, there’s a process to it, and that’s what you guys know. If you put me behind one of those excavators, I’d just start digging and trying to pull that thing up. You’d think I was Rambo with an excavator or something.

How do you guys handle the debris? Do you burn it, haul it, mulch it, or grind it on site? Debris is a big concern for a lot of people because they want the site clean when it’s done. Talk to me about that whole process.

Zach Miller: It depends on the plan. Some places want the mulch for something, or they may want to repurpose it. It also depends on city codes. Can you burn there? Can you run grinders because of the noise? Are there noise ordinances?

You have to follow the rules and regulations, and it also depends on the end goal for the property.

Jack Wadden: Typically, if you’re doing bigger land clearing, you’re bringing in a much bigger chipper or mulcher. If you’re in a residential neighborhood, people usually don’t want a huge grinder running all day. It’s not the quietest machine.

Mike Downer: I don’t think I’d be super happy about that either. But at the same time, if it made my neighborhood look better, I’d probably deal with it for a day.

It sounds like you guys are pretty efficient and aren’t out there for days at a time.

Zach Miller: We try to get in and out as efficiently as possible. We run big debris trucks with trailers as well, so we have the ability to haul debris off site. That tends to be a little quicker, a little quieter, and a little more efficient because we can process it at a different location. It also depends on how big the job actually is.

Mike Downer: Let’s get into that. What’s the typical timeline for clearing a few acres versus a whole lot?

Zach Miller: It depends on what you mean by a lot. A few acres can be done, but with land clearing, it really depends on the job. It could be a day, a week, or a month.

Jack Wadden: It also depends on whether they want the ground leveled when we’re done, or if they just want the trees hauled off and they’ll deal with the leveling themselves. If they want to build a structure there, that changes things too. There are a lot of factors that play into it.

Mike Downer: Let’s say I’m a developer and I buy fifty acres. Could you guys accommodate that?

Zach Miller: We’ve done it before.

Mike Downer: Let’s talk about that. What’s a land clearing project you’ve completed that shows the scale you guys can handle? What’s the biggest one you’ve done, and how did that come about?

Jack Wadden: We did one in Four Mile that was about fifteen acres.

Zach Miller: Fifteen to twenty acres, yeah.

Jack Wadden: We cleared it off. It had everything from undergrowth to eight- or ten-foot cottonwoods. It was a whole forest when we started. By the time we left, it was just a flat dirt spot because it was a flood area. They couldn’t build anything else on it, so they just wanted it completely flattened. We took all the trees out and flattened the ground.

Mike Downer: How long did that take you guys?

Zach Miller: Two weeks.

Mike Downer: Fifteen acres in two weeks?

Zach Miller: We did that one in the middle of winter, so we were fighting weather, frost, and all kinds of stuff. It would have been a little more efficient otherwise, but with a couple of excavators and a couple of guys with saws, we got it done pretty quickly.

Mike Downer: So you guys went out there, cleared it all out, and then did the ground leveling afterward as well?

Jack Wadden: Yeah. We brought in a couple of dozers, graded it out, and cleaned up around the trees with skid loaders. I think they planted prairie grass when we left. That’s how graded out it was.

Mike Downer: Really?

Jack Wadden: Oh, yeah.

Mike Downer: Was this somebody’s personal property?

Zach Miller: It was for the City of Des Moines.

Mike Downer: Very good. That had to be a great project for you guys. That’s a nice trophy to put in your case.

Jack Wadden: It kept us busy for a little bit during the slower season.

Mike Downer: That too. How long ago did you guys do that?

Zach Miller: About two years ago.

Mike Downer: Very good. Is that the biggest project you guys have taken on so far?

Zach Miller: It’s up there.

Mike Downer: Any other good ones that were a little more challenging?

Jack Wadden: Those bigger plots of land tend to be a little bit easier because you have a lot more area to work and process material. You can bring in bigger equipment and just drop a lot of the trees without as many hazards.

The trickier land clearings are when developers come in and you have to go right up to the property line. You can’t damage the rest of the trees, and you can only work on that lot.

Zach Miller: You also can’t mess up the neighbor’s yard that’s already built.

Jack Wadden: Exactly. You have to work within one little block. Those tend to be a little trickier.

Mike Downer: Very good. It sounds like you guys have it all planned out and know what you’re doing. The bigger the project, the easier it tends to be.

Zach Miller: Yeah.

Mike Downer: That makes complete sense when you’re working with equipment that big. In most industries, the smaller projects are the easy ones, but for you guys, when you hear “small project,” you’re probably thinking, “Oh no, I have to protect someone’s fresh sod next door, and then a neighbor might get mad if something gets in their yard.”

Jack Wadden: Yeah. Someone just bought the house, and they have fresh sod.

Mike Downer: That actually happened when we first bought our house. There was some work done, and we had brand-new sod that was only one day old. The builder ended up having to come out and replace over half of it.

Zach Miller: Because of the neighbor?

Mike Downer: Yeah.

Zach Miller: They put the sod down, then started the next job right next door, and all the dust and everything got pushed right back into that fresh sod.

Mike Downer: Yep. I know those pains, guys.

All right, gentlemen. We’ve talked about clearing out large plots of land. If you’re a land developer, or you just have a bunch of land yourself and need it cleared, give these guys a call. They’ll plan it out and make sure it’s done right.

And I expect that big, huge, poker-table-size stump delivered in the next few days.

Jack Wadden: We can deliver it if you really need it.

Mike Downer: Just kidding. The worst part about it is that I can see your minds going, “We might just drop this off in his driveway and see what he does.”

Zach Miller: We can make it happen today if you really want.

Mike Downer: I’m sure you could. Okay, we’re going to stop talking about that because I’m going to end up getting myself in trouble.

Gentlemen, thank you so much for joining me. It’s always fun to talk to you guys, and it’s always a good laugh.

Call these guys. They’ll take care of all your tree needs, from trimming to removal to clearing out thirty acres you just bought.

Gentlemen, as always, have a good one. Get out there, get some tree work done, and I’ll see you on the next podcast.

Zach Miller: There you go.

Mike Downer: All right. Take care, gentlemen.