On this page
- Land Clearing Services Available in Smith County
- Residential Land Clearing for New Homesites in Tyler, Whitehouse and Bullard
- Forestry Mulching and Brush Clearing Across Smith County
- How Much Does Land Clearing Cost per Acre Here?
- Terrain, Soil and Vegetation on Piney Woods Acreage
- Burn Bans, Texas A&M Forest Service and Floodplain Permits Before Land Clearing
- Areas We Serve in Smith County: Tyler, Lindale, Whitehouse, Bullard
- Ready to Clear Your Tract? Get an Estimate
- FAQ
Land Clearing Services Available in Smith County
Six services cover most land clearing projects here, each at a posted price.
- Forestry mulching services: pine understory, yaupon and sweetgum ground in place, $1,200 to $2,000 an acre.
- Lot clearing for a homesite: a half-acre lot is one skid steer day, $2,800.
- Clearing brush and underbrushing under standing timber, by the day.
- Stump grinding: $4 per inch of diameter, $175 minimum per stump.
- Site prep and dirt work services: grubbing and rough grading at $160 an hour.
- Bush hogging on agricultural land: $60 to $90 an acre, $400 minimum.
Our crews bring the equipment to handle trees and brush to 8 inches on the skid steer and larger stems with the 300-hp machine. Storm cleanup and single tree removal go by the hour. We do not pour concrete, drill wells or set septic.
Residential Land Clearing for New Homesites in Tyler, Whitehouse and Bullard
The county issued 517 single-family permits in 2025, up 11 percent, per the Census Building Permits Survey. Most residential jobs here are one to three acre homesites, loblolly over yaupon. The homeowner wants the pines kept and the undergrowth gone before the slab crew arrives. That is a skid steer day: $2,800, trees and branches mulched in place, no piles. Small residential lots under a half acre still pay the day rate, because the trailer still rolls. Site preparation on a two-acre tract adds pad grubbing and drainage running away from the slab.
Forestry Mulching and Brush Clearing Across Smith County
Forestry mulching leaves the wood on the ground as a two to four inch mulch layer, and that layer is the whole point on sandy loam. It holds moisture, slows erosion on slopes toward the lakes, and sets yaupon back. On our jobs in the Piney Woods the mix is loblolly understory, sweetgum saplings, yaupon and Chinese privet. Pine and hardwood over 8 inches go to the 300-hp mulcher with the 8 ft head, $4,200 a day plus transport. Selective clearing is the normal request: take the understory, keep the pines. A 15-acre tract here read as a solid yaupon wall going in. Three days later it was open pine over a mulch floor, $11,400. Yaupon will overgrow a cleared strip in about four years, so plan a bush hog pass by then.
How Much Does Land Clearing Cost per Acre Here?
Pine understory and yaupon mulching runs $1,200 to $2,000 an acre throughout Smith County. Two rules come first: wet ground after a week of rain adds a day, and 10 or more stumps go by the day.
- Skid steer mulcher: $2,800 a day, transport included within 60 miles of the yard.
- 300-hp mulcher: $4,200 a day plus transport.
- Full site clearing to dirt with rough grade: $2,000 to $4,500 an acre by density.
- Haul-off: $650 to $1,200 a load, $1,100 minimum trip.
- Pond site excavation: dozer at $160 an hour; the dam goes to a dirt contractor I can name.
The free on-site estimate comes with a canopy reading and a written day count after I walk the property with you. Call (832) 987-3495 or fill out the form, and Teo will have a callback to you before the end of the business day.
Terrain, Soil and Vegetation on Piney Woods Acreage
Sandy loam over red clay is the county's base, and water runs through the top foot fast. That is why the mulch layer matters, and why mud days are rare here. North of I-20 toward the Sabine River the tracts lie flat and the pine stands in rows. South along US 69 and Loop 49 the ground rolls and hardwood bottoms follow the creeks. Lots near Lake Palestine carry more sweetgum and privet, thickest where someone thinned the canopy for a view. I read site conditions on the first pass: slope, soil color, standing water. Woodland tracts with mature pine mulch at 3 to 4 acres a day. Dense yaupon under young pine drops that to 2.
Burn Bans, Texas A&M Forest Service and Floodplain Permits Before Land Clearing
No state permit is needed to clear your own land in Texas, and Smith County's rules fit on one page. Burn bans are declared by the county judge or commissioners court, and TCEQ outdoor burning rules govern any pile outside a ban. Mulching skips both, since there is no pile. Texas A&M Forest Service publishes the county wildfire risk rating and prescribed-burn notices, and its timber-sale guidance is worth a read before you mulch merchantable pine. The county floodplain office permits dirt work on FEMA-mapped land along the Sabine. Inside Tyler city limits the tree ordinance covers protected trees on commercial land.
Areas We Serve in Smith County: Tyler, Lindale, Whitehouse, Bullard
Four towns have their own pages: Tyler, Whitehouse, Bullard and the yard town itself, where a lot never pays transport. The city carries most of the residential and commercial work: infill lots, commercial development pads off Loop 49, tree clearing along a new fence line at the edge of town. Whitehouse and Bullard bring lake acreage. We also take the county's smaller spots, Arp, Troup and Winona, plus Tyler, TX and the surrounding areas into Gregg and Van Zandt. The service area runs 60 miles from the yard before transport is added. Of the 254 counties in Texas, this is where our East Texas crew started.
Ready to Clear Your Tract? Get an Estimate
Get an estimate in three steps: send the form with the acreage, take Teo's callback before the end of the business day, and meet a crew lead on your land within the week. Serving Smith County from the I-20 yard means the estimate is free. Insured crews, posted prices. Call (832) 987-3495 if you would rather talk first. Yaupon is the one crop in East Texas nobody planted and everybody has to harvest.
