Free field guide No. 02 7 chapters
The land clearing buyer's guide for Texas
How to choose a clearing method, read an estimate, plan around the rules and hire a crew you will not have to call back. Free from the family that clears Texas land every day.
- The four ways land gets cleared, and what each one leaves behind
- What really sets the price of a clearing job
- Rules to check first: city tree rules, burn bans, the Edwards Aquifer and more
- Fifteen questions to ask any clearing crew, ready to print
5-star Google reviews Family-owned in Spring Branch, TX
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- 7chapters
- 2tables
- 4checklists & worksheets
- 10glossary terms
- 26cited sources
What is inside
Clear It Right: The land clearing buyer's guide for Texas
How to choose a clearing method, read an estimate, plan around the rules and hire a crew you will not have to call back. Written by the family that does it every day.
- 01
Start with the end in mind
Land clearing is not the goal. What you do with the land after is the goal.
- 02
The four ways land gets cleared
Each method leaves something different behind. Know what you are buying.
- 03
What sets the price
No honest crew quotes an acre sight unseen. Here is what they are really pricing.
- 04
Rules to check before anyone starts
Most rural Texas land needs no permit to clear. Some does. Check these first.
- 05
Fifteen questions to ask any clearing crew
Print this page. Ask every crew the same questions. The answers will sort them for you.
- 06
Get your land ready
A little prep makes the estimate sharper and the job faster.
- 07
How 9 Arrow works
A family crew from Spring Branch. Finished quality. It does not get better.
| Method | How it works | What it leaves |
|---|---|---|
| Forestry mulching | A mulching head grinds trees and brush where they stand | A mulch layer on intact soil. No piles, no hauling, no burning |
| Dozing and grubbing | Dozers push trees over, roots and all, into piles | Disturbed soil, root holes and brush piles to burn or haul |
| Burning | Cut brush is piled and burned | Ash, a bare burn spot and a fire risk. Allowed only on site, and a county burn ban can stop it |
| Hand clearing | Chainsaws and crews cut and drag | Cut stumps and debris to deal with. Slow on big acreage |
Why we wrote it
From the crew that does the work.
Most people buy land clearing once or twice in their life. The crews they call do it every day. That gap is where bad estimates, burn piles and torn-up ground come from.
We wrote this guide to close the gap. It is the same advice we give on a discovery call, written down so you can use it with any crew, including ours.
We exclusively use 9 Arrow for all land clearings, lot lines, and site prep scopes for our Texas projects. They are exceptional, keep up with our overwhelming volume, and deliver a level of quality and responsiveness we haven't seen anyone else rival.
Questions about the guide
Is the land clearing buyer's guide free?
Yes, the land clearing buyer's guide is free. Enter your name, email and phone, and the download starts on the next page. The guide is a single HTML file that opens in any browser, works without a signal once saved and prints cleanly, including the fifteen-question checklist.
What should a land clearing estimate include?
A land clearing estimate should name the method, the area and what stays (trees, fence, a creek buffer), the finish you will get, how the debris is handled and whether it is priced by the acre or by the day. The buyer's guide has a worksheet that walks you through each line.
How do I compare land clearing methods?
Compare land clearing methods by what each one leaves behind. Forestry mulching grinds brush in place and leaves the soil covered. Bulldozing and grubbing pull roots and leave bare ground and piles. Burning needs legal conditions and no burn ban. The buyer's guide compares all four side by side.
Who wrote the land clearing buyer's guide?
The land clearing buyer's guide was written by 9 Arrow Land Service, a family-owned land clearing company in Spring Branch, Texas, founded by John and Camille Wheelock. Outside facts in the guide, such as burn rules and tree ordinances, cite the agency or city that publishes them.
Get Clear It Right free.
How to choose a clearing method, read an estimate, plan around the rules and hire a crew you will not have to call back. Written by the family that does it every day.
