Did you know that almost 4 million square miles of forest have been cleared over the last 120 years or so? That’s a helluva lot of deforestation. Thankfully, the amount of land you’ll need to clear for a house, office block, or any other construction will pale in comparison!
However, you’ll still have to avoid a host of land clearing mistakes that can occur along the way. Want to find out all about these potential problems and what you can do to avoid them? Well, you’re in the right place.
Keep reading to discover 6 errors people make when clearing space for property and other such projects (and how to steer clear of them).
1. Ineffective Planning
Failing to plan is like planning to fail. However, making an ineffective plan can often be just as bad! Make it your mission to plan the forthcoming clearance with care and diligence.
Never dive straight into the task. Instead, sit down with someone who knows what they’re doing (more on this later) and put a quality plan of action together. You need to know who’s doing what and when they’re going to do it, as well as how the site itself will be laid out.
A wealth of factors must be considered here. For example:
What’s your land clearing budget? How many contractors will you have on-site (hint: one’s never enough)? What equipment will you need to do the job, and how much of it will you require to complete it on time?
2. Lack of Risk Assessment
It goes without saying that you need to have a thorough risk assessment in place too. Alas, too many people dive headlong into the process without considering the hazards. That’s a recipe for disaster with tree felling happening and heavy equipment in operation.
As part of the planning phase, take the time to consider the wide array of risks with which you’ll be dealing. Think about how you’ll mitigate them and put a land clearing strategy in place to do so. Everything from experienced contractors and well-positioned machinery to appropriate personal protective equipment can make a difference.
3. Taking the DIY Approach
Land clearing might sound simple enough. After all, you’re just clearing out trees and bushes on which to set your construction. Anybody could do it, right?
Wrong! Trust us, this vital task isn’t like putting up shelves or building a flat-pack wardrobe.
It’s complex, exacting work that often demands professional levels of experience, insight, and skill. You have to understand a wide-range of factors, from soil to drainage, and how to handle heavy equipment. Try to do it yourself and you can get into real trouble.
You could make key mistakes that undermine your building efforts down the line. Worse still, you risk causing bodily harm to yourself or others. Avoid both unfortunate fates by working with professional land clearing services, such as FECON, to help clear the land.
4. Failing to Acquire the Correct Equipment
One of the biggest mistakes people make in these projects is trying to use suboptimal machinery. It can be like trying to hammer in a nail with a spanner. It might do the job, but it’ll take twice as long (and be ten times more frustrating) than if you had a hammer instead.
The situation’s a hundred times more extreme in land clearing though. After all, you’re not hammering in a nail- you’re removing entire trees! Your machinery has to be big enough, durable enough, and with all the proper fittings to do the task efficiently.
Always think about the land itself as well. For example, if you’re digging through strong, hard, and abrasive material (such as rock), then your digger bucket has to be cut out for that specific task. You’d be in for a torrid time if it wasn’t.
5. Not Clearing Enough Land
Land clearing is hard work. It’s also expensive, time-consuming, and less than ideal for the environment. For these reasons and more, many people attempt to minimize the amount of clearance work they do for their projects.
It makes sense. However, take that approach and you risk clearing an insufficient amount of land. That can backfire when it comes to getting actual building materials and equipment onsite when the clearance work’s been finished.
We’re not saying you need to go overboard. But you do need to be practical. The secret to success is striking the right balance so that you clear just enough space for the task at hand.
6. Clearing Too Many Trees
Not all trees are made equal when it comes to land clearance. Some are undoubtedly in the way and need to be removed. Others, though, could serve a valuable purpose.
Picture the tree that’d cast a gentle shadow over the home in hot summer months. Consider the tree with roots supporting the soil bank below. And think about hardwood trees that hold genuine financial value.
Clearing out these types of trees without giving them a second thought can work against you down the line. Once again, plan ahead to ensure you’re being sensible with your efforts. Oh, and try to sell any trees that seem of monetary value!
Avoid These Land Clearing Mistakes
Land clearance is a crucial first step to complete before building work can begin.
You’re literally laying the groundwork and ‘preparing your canvas’ so that the project to come can proceed without issue. However, as we’ve seen, this preparatory process can be fraught with potential trouble too.
These land clearing mistakes can cost you time, money, and a wealth of practical headaches! In worst-case scenarios, they may even result in injury. With any luck, though, the information in this post will help you avoid such unfortunate outcomes.
Keep these mistakes in mind and you should have those trees and bushes cleared out in no time (and with minimal fuss). Would you like to read more articles like this one? Browse the ‘Home’ section on the website now.
