This article will show how our land clearing services provide more effective than clearing and grubbing for less expense. We consider the necessary equipment and manpower, the costs from site disruption, and each method’s overall utility. This will show that forestry mulching is a cheaper and more helpful land clearing technique.
East Coast Mulching vs Clearing and Grubbing Services
Definition
East Coast Mulching
Forestry mulching operator, which shreds vegetation onsite.
Clearing and grubbing services
Services that remove woody vegetation by cutting down and uprooting it.
Land clearing costs
East Coast Mulching
Uses less machinery, fuel and staffing.
Clearing and grubbing services
Uses extensive machinery, fuel and staffing. It’s not DIY friendly.
Site disruption costs
East Coast Mulching
Avoids soil erosion and property damage.
Clearing and grubbing services
It may cause soil erosion and property damage.
Overall utility and effectiveness
East Coast Mulching
It can be used for fire prevention and targeted clearing.
Clearing and grubbing services
Mainly effective for construction site preparation.
Definition
Clearing and grubbing
Clearing and grubbing are preliminary site preparation activities in construction and land development projects. These processes involve the removal of vegetation, trees, stumps, roots, and any other organic or inorganic materials from a construction site to prepare it for further development or construction. Here’s a breakdown of each activity:
Clearing
Clearing refers to removing above-ground vegetation and obstacles from the project site. This typically includes the removal of trees, shrubs, grasses, underbrush, and any other plants that may interfere with construction activities. The primary goal of clearing is to create a clean and open workspace for construction or development.
Grubbing
Grubbing is the process of removing the below-ground elements of vegetation. These include the roots and stumps. Grubbing ensures the site is free of subsurface vegetation that could hinder excavation, foundation construction, or other below-ground activities. Grubbing may require specialised equipment to extract stumps and roots from the soil.
Forestry mulching
Forestry mulching is a land clearing technique that uses specialised machinery to clear and mulch vegetation, trees, shrubs, underbrush, and other organic materials on a property. The process involves using a mulching machine equipped with a rotary drum or cutting head fitted with teeth or blades. These machines can efficiently grind and mulch vegetation into fine particles. These particles are then evenly spread across the cleared area as mulch or biomass.
If you would like to learn more or have any questions regarding land clearing, contact East Coast Mulching.
Land clearing service costs
The major expenses associated with land clearing are the machinery used and the operators required. How do these two methods stack up in this regard?
Clearing and grubbing
Clearing and grubbing typically uses various pieces of equipment to complete a clearing project. Some of the equipment you can expect include:
- Bulldozers
- Grapple loaders
- Dump trucks
- Excavators
All of these machines require professional operators to ensure safety and effectiveness. This staffing will come at a premium. Machinery also needs fuel, which is factored into the cost. Fuel costs may be exacerbated if the clearing company has to transport the equipment a significant distance to reach your property.
Once the clearing is done, the leftover logs, stumps, and debris must be removed. Large logs may be loaded onto trucks and hauled offsite. Any remaining debris is often disposed of in pile burns. This post-clearing work makes clearing and grubbing a longer process. This increases staffing costs and equipment hire.
One mitigating factor for clearing and grubbing costs is the potential to reuse suitable timber. Logs that get hauled offsite could be repurposed and sold for construction material. This will depend on the type and quality of the timber.
East Coast Mulching
Forestry mulching can reduce clearing rates in several ways. We only require one machine to complete a job. We use a compact track loader, which can operate in adverse conditions and hard-to-navigate terrain like steep slopes. This means only one operator is needed, and fuel costs are low. The relative simplicity of forestry mulching also makes dry hiring a mulching machine for DIY viable. This can allow property owners to save money on staffing.
Forestry mulching also minimises post-clearing work. Mulchers shred vegetation on the spot. This means there are typically no leftover logs or debris that must be disposed of by hauling or pile burns. Because of this, forestry mulching can be completed quickly, making it a more efficient and cost-effective option.
Overall winner: East Coast Mulching
Site disruption costs
Land cleared with clearing and grubbing can often suffer damage that needs to be rectified later. However, some clearing methods can avoid this damage.
Clearing and grubbing
Trees often have extensive root systems that reach deep into the ground. When stumps are grubbed out, they leave a large hole. These holes need to be refilled to retain the soil’s integrity. Root systems play a critical role in preventing soil erosion. Grubbing stumps increases the threat of erosion without proper control measures. This adds to the complexity of land clearing work.
If erosion is permitted to occur, it can dramatically affect the land. Topsoil can dry out when exposed and become susceptible to being blown or washed away. Loose sediment can settle in streams and other waterways. This can cause flooding when the waterway gets blocked. Dry and hardened ground has a reduced capacity to absorb excess water. Eroded land also loses much of its fertility. These issues are complex and expensive to rectify once they happen.
This is a serious issue. According to the Australian Conservation Foundation, Australia has over 52 million hectares of severely degraded land. Native forests account for a worrying percentage of cleared land. In New South Wales, 640 football fields worth of land are cleared daily. Therefore, it’s essential to use sustainable methods of land clearing.
East Coast Mulching
Mulching is an ideal way to clear land without risking erosion. Instead of uprooting stumps, we can grind stumps on the spot and keep the root system intact. This resolves all the issues related to erosion. Flooding risks are reduced, and the soil’s fertility is maintained. The resulting mulch layer increases fertility by providing long-term nutrients as the wood chips decay.
The mulch layer also protects against the causes of erosion by reducing soil exposure. Wind and rain have less impact on the soil as they cannot reach the ground.
These advantages mean that you avoid long-term costly damage to your property that needs to be repaired in the future.
Overall winner: East Coast Mulching
If you would like to learn more or have any questions regarding land clearing, contact East Coast Mulching.
Overall utility and effectiveness
When looking at a land clearing method’s cost/benefit analysis, it’s useful to consider their effectiveness and the range of utility each provides.
Clearing and grubbing
Clearing and grubbing is a mainstay of construction site preparation. This method provides a comprehensive clearing solution that removes obstructions above and below the ground. This permits precise land grading that levels the ground for construction or other landscaping opportunities.
Grubbing stumps out of the ground provides the necessary space for installing underground utilities like water, sewage, gas, and electrical systems. With the vegetation and obstacles removed, digging trenches, laying pipes, and installing cables becomes easier.
East Coast Mulching
Our services provide many benefits. Forestry mulching is highly effective in managing and reducing the risk of bushfires. We can create protective firebreaks by clearing underbrush, dead trees, and other potential fuel sources. This reduces the intensity of potential fires. This is especially important in fire-prone areas. We can also create breaks quickly as an emergency response to imminent fire threats.
We can also provide targeted clearing to ensure we meet your landscaping needs. This is particularly useful when tackling invasive plant species while protecting native species. Weeds can harm threatened species significantly. Selective clearing can help preserve native forest and avoid habitat destruction. This reduces the need for native forest logging and protects native animals.
This broad utility makes forestry mulching a cost-effective land clearing option while preserving native vegetation.
Overall winner: East Coast Mulching
East Coast Mulching vs Clearing and Grubbing Services
Land clearing costs (out of 15)
East Coast Mulching: 15
Clearing and grubbing services: 9
Site disruption costs (out of 10)
East Coast Mulching: 9
Clearing and grubbing services: 4
Overall utility and effectiveness (out of 15)
East Coast Mulching: 14
Clearing and Grubbing services: 11
There’s much to consider when assessing the actual costs of land clearing methods. Clearing and grubbing is an effective construction site preparation method. However, its higher operating costs, potential for property degradation and limited utility make it a more expensive option. Forestry mulching is a quicker and less intensive technique that has many uses. This shows that our services offer superior value for your money.
Overall winner: East Coast Mulching
Do you have a land clearing project? Contact us for a free quote.
