Lot Clearing for a New Home
Once you've picked a building lot, the house footprint, driveway and septic area all need clearing and grubbing before a builder can start. See our lot clearing for building sites.
View Lot Clearing
Land Clearing in Knoxville, TN
Got a lot you can't build on, or a view hidden behind 20 years of growth? We clear it for the purpose you have in mind, and tell you up front whether to mulch it in place or pull it by the roots.
Google ReviewsLand clearing for a house pad, a hay field or a hunting view each calls for a different method, and picking the wrong one costs money twice. Superior Land Management is a Knoxville land clearing and excavation company based in north Knox County, near Halls and Gibbs, and we have been providing land clearing services across East Tennessee since 2021. Owner Chandler Humphrey runs the machines himself with a crew of three, so the person who quotes your job is the person in the cab. We mulch where the ground should stay covered and pull stumps where something will be built. Call or text Chandler at (865) 412-7121 to walk your property.
Signs It's Time for Land Clearing
A field left alone three or four seasons fills with cedar, sweetgum and privet, and every year those saplings add trunk that turns a quick mulching day into a bigger tree job. Most residential land clearing calls start with one of these:
- You bought a wooded lot and need a house site, driveway and septic area opened up before the builder can price it.
- Old pasture has gone to cedar, briars and sumac, and you can't mow or bush-hog it anymore.
- A fence line has disappeared inside a wall of brush and vines.
- Privet and bush honeysuckle have filled the woods so thick you can't see 20 feet in.
- The view you paid for from the ridge is gone behind maturing trees.
- A storm put trees across the drive or the field and you need it cleared now, not next month.
What Our Land Clearing Includes
Land clearing (some people call it landscape clearing) means removing trees, brush and stumps from ground so it can be built on, farmed or used, with the debris handled in a way that fits the next step.
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Choosing the Method Before the Machine Shows Up
Chandler walks the property with you and asks what the ground is for. If it is going to be pasture, a trail system, a view or open woods, forestry mulching usually wins: an excavator-mounted mulching head grinds standing trees and brush in place, leaves the mulch as a ground cover, and grinds stumps down near grade. If a house, driveway, garage or septic field is going on it, conventional clearing is the right call, because those spots need every stump and root ball out.
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Forestry Mulching for Ground That Stays Green
Our forestry mulching service is one machine doing the cutting, grinding and spreading in a single pass. There are no burn piles, no haul trucks and no bare dirt left to wash away, because the roots stay in the ground and the mulch layer shields the soil. Most trees up to about 6 to 8 inches in diameter go through the head routinely.
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Conventional Clearing for Anything You'll Build On
For build areas, the excavator or a rented Cat D6 dozer pushes trees over and pulls them with the root ball attached. Then we grub: rake out remaining roots and organic material until we hit mineral soil. This step matters. Buried stumps and roots rot over a few years and leave voids, and a footer, driveway or septic line sitting over that rot will settle and crack. This kind of tree clearing costs more than mulching, so we only do it where it pays off.
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Debris Handling, Your Choice
Pulled trees and stumps have to go somewhere. We grind them, haul them off in our dump truck, or stack them for burning in permit season. Burning between October 15 and May 15 requires a free Tennessee Division of Forestry burn permit, and local rules can be stricter. Each option is priced on the quote. You don't need to be home while we work, but gates, livestock and pets need a plan before day one.
The Land Clearing Problems We See Most on East Tennessee Properties
Stumps left under a building site
The most expensive mistake we see is clearing land for a house with a mulcher alone, or pushing stumps into a low spot and covering them with fill. Under a footprint, we pull and grub every stump, then hand the cleared site to our excavation crew for the pad.
Red clay that washes once it's bare
Knox County clay runs off fast once it's bare. Mulching keeps cover on ground that isn't being built on, and we install silt fence where a build site is opened. Larger jobs also trigger permits: Knox County requires a land disturbance permit for more than one acre of disturbance, and smaller sites may still need one when there is 5 feet or more of cut or fill, according to Knox County Stormwater's permit requirements.
Invasives that come right back
Chinese privet, bush honeysuckle, multiflora rose, autumn olive and tree-of-heaven are all on the Tennessee Invasive Plant Council list, and all of them resprout from the stump. Plan on a follow-up mulching pass or a licensed applicator's treatment.
Before and After: Land Clearing Projects
Why Knoxville Landowners Choose Superior Land Management
Plenty of land clearing contractors can knock trees down. Here's how we're different.
The Owner Runs the Machine
Chandler Humphrey has run Superior Land Management since 2021, and he's in the cab on your job. He learned forestry mulching from a mentor he still works alongside, and he does roadside mulching for TDOT along interstate right-of-way.
You See Every Line of the Quote
Every quote is itemized, line by line: clearing, stump work, debris handling, erosion control and any grading listed separately. You can cut or add scope before we start.
We Come Back If Anything's Wrong
Chandler would rather spend an extra day getting a site right than come back later, and if something isn't right, we return and fix it. In five years, no customer has had to call us back about a problem with the work.
Mulch or Pull, Explained Up Front
Before you sign, you'll know which parts of your property get mulched, which get pulled and grubbed, and why.
Want to know who'll be on your property? Meet Chandler and the Superior Land Management crew.
How Our Land Clearing Works
Walk the Property With Chandler
Chandler meets you on site, walks the boundaries, and asks what the land is for. You flag trees you want kept with ribbon, and he points out wet spots, rock and access. You get a written, itemized quote. Estimates are free.
Mark, Locate and Permit
We mark the clearing limits, keeper trees and any build footprint on the ground. If stumps come out near buried lines, we call TN811 at least three working days ahead. If the job needs a Knox County land disturbance permit or a burn permit, we tell you which and when.
Clear in the Right Order
We mulch the outer areas first with the excavator-mounted mulching head. Then we pull and grub the build areas with the excavator or dozer. Silt fence goes in before bare ground is exposed on build sites.
Handle the Debris
Pulled trees and stumps are ground, hauled off in our dump truck, or stacked for a permitted burn, whichever you chose on the quote.
Final Walkthrough and Sign-Off
Chandler walks the finished site with you and checks it against the marked limits and the quote. You get an itemized invoice that matches the quote line for line.
How Much Does Land Clearing Cost in Knoxville?
Most land clearing companies quote land clearing cost per acre, but two acres of light brush and two acres of mature hardwood are not the same job. We price by machine day after walking the property: $2,000 per day for forestry mulching and $1,500 per day for dirt work, plus fixed line items for debris handling and erosion control. If you want the cheapest number in town, we're probably not your crew. If you want it done right once, we are.
What Changes the Price
- Density and tree size. Saplings and brush mulch fast; 12-inch hardwoods take much longer.
- Method. Pulling and grubbing stumps costs more than grinding them near grade.
- Slope and terrain. Steep hillsides, rock ledges and wet clay slow the machines.
- Debris handling. Leaving mulch in place is cheapest; haul-off adds truck time and dump fees.
- Access. Narrow gates, creek crossings or no road in can mean extra clearing just to get the equipment there.
Quoted Separately
- House pads, cut and fill, and final grading through our excavation services
- Driveway building through driveway excavation
- Rock breaking with a rented hydraulic hammer
- Large-tree felling near houses or power lines
Estimates are free. We take cash, check or Venmo.
Often Paired With Land Clearing
Clear land services rarely end at the last stump.
Brush and Underbrush Removal
Want to keep the big trees but lose the privet and honeysuckle beneath them? See our brush and underbrush removal.
View Brush & Underbrush RemovalPasture and Farm Land Clearing
Fields gone to cedar and briars can be mulched back to mowable ground. See our pasture and farm land clearing.
View Pasture & Farm Land ClearingLand Clearing Across Knoxville and East Tennessee
We work out of north Knox County and take residential land clearing jobs within about 50 miles, farther when the job is worth the trip (we spent three months on a job in Kingsport). That covers Knox, Loudon, Sevier, Jefferson, Grainger and Hamblen counties.
Corryton is a short run east across north Knox County; ridge lots near House Mountain often need views reopened. Blaine is up Rutledge Pike (US-11W), and Morristown is farther out the same road or by I-40 and I-81. Need land clearing in Jefferson City? We head east on Andrew Johnson Highway (US-11E) through Strawberry Plains. Sevierville is down I-40 to Exit 407 or Chapman Highway, and Lenoir City is west on I-40/I-75 to Exit 81. In Knoxville, we've worked from Fountain City to Hardin Valley.
- Land clearing in Knoxville, TN
- Land clearing in Lenoir City, TN
- Land clearing in Sevierville, TN
- Land clearing in Jefferson City, TN
- Land clearing in Blaine, TN
- Land clearing in Corryton, TN
- Land clearing in Morristown, TN
Browse all of our land clearing and excavation services, or call (865) 412-7121 to see if your property is in range. Storm damage? We answer 24/7 for downed-tree cleanup.
Based in Knoxville, TNService-area business, about 50 miles around Knoxville. Pins open each area page.
View us on GoogleLand Clearing FAQ
How much does land clearing cost per acre in Knoxville?
It depends on density, tree size, slope, stump work and debris handling. We price by machine day, $2,000 for forestry mulching and $1,500 for dirt work, after walking the land.
Should my land be mulched or cleared with stumps pulled?
Mulch anything that will stay green: pasture, trails, views, open woods. Pull and grub anything you'll build on, since buried stumps rot and settle under footers, driveways and septic fields. Most build lots get both. That's what we mean by mulch or pull, explained up front.
What's involved in clearing land for a house?
We mark the house footprint, driveway and septic area, pull every stump and root ball there, and grub down to mineral soil. From there, our excavation crew can cut the pad and get you ready for footers.
How long does land clearing take?
A one-acre mulching job is often a day or two; a wooded build lot with stump pulling and haul-off can take several days to a couple of weeks. Chandler gives you a realistic schedule on the quote.
Do I need a permit to clear my land?
In Knox County, disturbing more than one acre requires a land disturbance permit, and smaller sites may need one too. Burning debris from October 15 to May 15 needs a Division of Forestry burn permit.
Do I need to be home during tree clearing?
No. We need to walk the property with you first and have keeper trees marked. On work days, leave gates unlocked and keep livestock and pets clear of the work area.
What if something isn't right after you finish?
Call us. We come back if anything's wrong.
Do land clearing contractors handle storm cleanup?
We do, 24/7. Call (865) 412-7121 day or night.
Still have a question about land clearing? Call (865) 412-7121.
Let's Get Your Land Ready for What's Next
The first step is a walk with Chandler. You'll leave knowing what gets mulched, what gets pulled and what it costs, line by line. Contact Superior Land Management or call (865) 412-7121.
Open 24/7, including storm cleanup and emergencies
