Whether you're preparing a building lot, reclaiming an overgrown field, or opening up a backyard, clearing goes faster and cheaper when it's planned. Here's what to sort out first.
Types of clearing
- Selective clearing. Removing brush, invasive shrubs, dead trees, and small saplings while keeping the best trees. This is common for backyards and woodland edges.
- Brush clearing and forestry mulching. Grinding overgrown brush and small trees in place, leaving a mulch layer. It's fast for overgrown fields and trails.
- Full lot clearing. Removing trees, then grinding or excavating stumps for a house, addition, driveway, or septic system.
- View and solar clearing. Targeted removals and pruning to open a view or reduce shade on panels.
Check these before any clearing
- Wetlands and streams. Much of this area has ponds, brooks, and wetland. Work in or near wetland resource areas can require a filing with your town's conservation commission before you start. Call them early.
- Trees on the road edge. Trees in or on the boundary of the public way are public shade trees under Massachusetts law. Cutting them needs the tree warden's permission and usually a public hearing. On a designated scenic road, the planning board may be involved too.
- Permit conditions. If you're clearing for a building permit or subdivision, follow any tree-protection or limit-of-work conditions in your approvals.
- Property lines. Have corners marked before trees come down near a boundary.
What to do with the brush and wood
Options include chipping on site (chips can stay for paths and erosion control), hauling everything off, or cutting usable logs to firewood length. Massachusetts allows some residential brush burning with a local fire department permit between January 15 and May 1, but not stumps, and not brush or trees from commercial or industrial land clearing. Many clearing jobs end up chipped or hauled for that reason. The statewide emerald ash borer quarantine also limits moving ash wood and hardwood firewood, so ask the crew how wood will be handled.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to clear a typical house lot?
It depends on acreage, tree size, how much will be kept, and whether stumps are ground or excavated. A small, mostly brushy lot can be a day or two. Wooded acreage takes longer. A site walk produces a realistic schedule.
Do I need a permit to clear my land in Massachusetts?
Clearing upland on your own property often doesn't need a state permit, but work near wetlands, streams, or ponds may need conservation commission approval, and road-edge trees are protected as public shade trees. Commercial timber harvests above certain thresholds have their own state forest cutting rules. Check with your town first.
Can I burn the brush from clearing?
Possibly, for residential brush during open-burning season (January 15 to May 1) with a permit from your local fire department, where burning is allowed. Stumps and debris from commercial or industrial land clearing cannot be burned.
What's forestry mulching?
A machine with a heavy rotary head grinds brush and small trees where they stand, leaving shredded mulch on the ground. It's efficient for overgrown fields, trails, and understory clearing, and causes less soil disturbance than pushing brush with a bulldozer.
Can you keep certain trees during clearing?
Yes. Flag the trees you want saved before work begins, and ask the crew to keep machines off their root zones.
Sources and further reading
- Open Burning Safety (mass.gov)
- M.G.L. c.87 §3 – Public shade trees (malegislature.gov)
- M.G.L. c.40 §15C – Scenic roads (malegislature.gov)
- Emerald Ash Borer in Massachusetts (mass.gov)
General information only, not legal advice. Rules change. Confirm with your town before work begins.