November 15, 2019
According to estimates, there is 231,966 km of power transmission lines across Canada. All of these lines need to be cleared to be debris free.
Canada’s active construction industry is another area where land clearing services are indispensable. Land clearing is also required in the farming sector.
In short, most new projects that are converting land use from vacant or bushed/forested areas will require land clearing. In many cases, particularly in construction, grading work will also need to be carried out for the building of foundations, access roads, connection to utilities, etc.
If you are needing to get power lines cleared, land graded, bush removed, or trees cut down, then your best option will be to contract in land clearing services.
But before you do, it is a good idea to find out everything you need to know about land clearing service so that you can avoid costly mistakes. Read on to do just that.
Land Clearing Services Utilize Specialized Machinery
Land clearing is not cheap. This leads some companies to question whether it might be more cost-effective to do clearing and grading themselves.
In short—it’s not. Land clearing and grading services use specialized machinery such as bucket trucks and industrial-grade mulchers. The cost to rent or buy these babies is not financially viable for a company looking to grade or clear one to two areas, no matter how large they might be.
For example, our CMI 250 mulcher has the lowest ground pressure in the industry. This means that after we clear, your land will far be less compacted than if heavier machinery was used.
The compacted ground can cause a myriad of problems in agriculture. On construction sites, the compacted ground can lead to increased water run-off and erosion—something which all developers need to keep an eagle eye on.
In the case of clearing service lines, the compacted ground can impact soil health and biodiversity.
Clearing and Grading Services Minimize Risks for Companies
Another big reason for companies not to undertake land clearing or grading from in-house are the hazards involved.
As clearing and grading is a clearing company’s business, literally, they are far better equipped to shoulder and negate these risks.
One of the largest risks that come with land clearing is wildfires. This is especially true in the natural gas and oil industries.
Dead brush and trees can act a ready-packed bonfire, just waiting to be lit. Unfortunately, clear-felling that is not professionally done can leave exactly that. Piles of felled dead wood and dry brush.
Clearing services significantly drop fire risks by converting all cut vegetation into mulching as they clear.
Another area of risk that grading and clearing services handle best are safety risks. Staff require proper training to operate clearing and grading machinery. Even with training, accidents can still happen.
Clearing and grading services are insured to cover these.
Land Clearing Services Take Care of Permits
In many cases, companies wishing to clear land will need to obtain permits for this. If there are protected lands or species of endangered plants or wildlife present, permission from the local land planning agency will be required to clear in the area.
Fortunately, land clearing services can handle this for you. They will be (if they are worth their salt) knowledgeable about protected plants and zones in your area. They can then consult with the correct land planning agency to obtain all necessary permits you might require.
Land Clearing Services Can Also Relocate Trees
According to information from National Resources Canada—contrary to popular belief—Canada has one of the lowest rates of deforestation in the world, estimated to be 0.02%. Let’s keep it that way.
Clearing inevitably disturbs trees and vegetation. To counterbalance this, we offer tree relocation services to our clients.
You have the option to have valuable trees moved to more desirable locations. Or, we can find them new homes for you, if there isn’t a need for them onsite.
How to Pick the Best Land Clearing Service
Utilizing a land clearing company to undertake site clearing and preparation is clearly the most advantageous route—unless your company just happens to be fitted out with state-of-the-art clearing machinery, and trained, insured, handlers.
Not the case? Then the savvy move is to find the best clearing company in your area.
When screening potential clearing services, you will need to ask questions like:
- Are their licenses in order?
- Do they have proper registration and worker’s compensation?
- Has the company undertaken similar projects?
- Can they provide references?
- What are their costs?
- Are there any ‘hidden’ costs in their fee structure?
- What safety measures do they have in place?
- What is their machinery like? Is it the best?
- Can they obtain permits for you and do they know the local plant species and wildlife?
- Do they use subcontractors? (This opens a few uncertainties unless you vet the subcontractors as well)
Not sure where to start with finding clearing contractors? We pride ourselves on offering some of the best clearing related services around. So, if your project is in the Alberta or Saskatchewan area, check out who we are.
Call Us
As we said, we like to think that we offer some of the best grading land clearing services in the area. Which is why, if you are operating in Alberta or Saskatchewan we are the men and women you want on your site.
Of course, you will want to research us, so go ahead and take a look at our Google reviews and what we do.
If you have any questions or would like to get your clearing scheduled, contact us for a free quote.
