When we finish your land clearing project, you’re not looking at a half-done mess that needs three more contractors to fix. You’re looking at level ground with proper drainage, clean property lines, and a stable foundation area ready for your builder to start work immediately.
The rocky soil and mature hardwoods that make West Glens Falls beautiful also make land clearing tricky. But when it’s done right, you move forward with complete confidence. You’ll see exactly what you’re paying for: clean boundaries, proper drainage, and solid ground that’s ready for whatever comes next.
No burn piles in your yard. No wondering where to dump stumps. No surprise calls about “additional work needed.” Just a construction-ready site that lets your project move to the next phase without delays or complications.
Emerson Excavating and Trucking has been clearing land in the West Glens Falls area since transitioning from logging to full-time excavation in 2020. What started as a logging business in 1997 became a father-son excavating partnership when Josh’s son joined in 2022.
Josh is present on almost every job because quality matters more than speed. As a close-knit family business, we focus on building lasting relationships with customers rather than just completing transactions. The goal isn’t to be the cheapest option—it’s to be your excavator forever by providing exceptional care and real value.
This local expertise matters when you’re dealing with West Glens Falls’ challenging terrain, rocky soil conditions, and the specific permitting requirements that come with clearing land in this area.
The process starts with a site visit where Josh assesses your specific property conditions, discusses what you want to preserve, and explains exactly what the clearing will involve. You’ll get a realistic timeline and upfront pricing with no surprises.
Next comes the actual clearing work. Trees come down, stumps get ground below grade, and all brush and debris get cleared completely. Rock removal and root clearing happen as needed. Throughout this phase, proper attention goes to drainage considerations and protecting any features you want to keep.
The final step is grading and site preparation. The cleared area gets graded to your specifications, establishing proper drainage and creating the level, stable surface your construction project requires. When the work is complete, your site is ready for the foundation contractor to start immediately—no additional prep work needed.
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Your land clearing service includes complete tree removal, stump grinding below grade, brush clearing, and all debris removal and disposal. Grading work establishes proper drainage and creates building pads to the elevations your project needs. Rock removal and soil preparation happen when your specific site requires it.
West Glens Falls properties often present unique challenges with elevation changes, rocky soil conditions, and mature tree coverage. These local factors get special attention to ensure proper site preparation that won’t cause problems during construction.
All permit requirements and utility marking through Dig Safe are handled as part of the service. You don’t have to coordinate multiple contractors or worry about whether different aspects of the job are getting done correctly. The complete site preparation happens from start to finish, leaving you with a construction-ready property that meets local building standards.
Most residential lots in West Glens Falls take 2-4 days to clear completely, depending on the size and how heavily wooded the property is. A quarter-acre lot with moderate tree coverage usually takes about 2 days.
Larger lots or properties with dense forest and difficult terrain can take up to a week. Weather conditions also affect timing—we can’t do final grading work in muddy conditions. The rocky soil conditions common in this area sometimes require additional time for proper preparation, but we’ll give you a realistic timeline when we assess your specific property during the initial site visit.
Tree removal just takes down the trees and maybe cuts them up. Land clearing is complete site preparation for construction. This means we remove trees, grind stumps below grade, clear all brush and debris, and do the grading work to create a level, properly drained building site.
We also remove rocks and roots that would interfere with construction. When we’re done with land clearing, your site is ready for the foundation contractor to start work immediately. Tree removal leaves you with a lot of additional work still needed before construction can begin. Land clearing handles everything in one coordinated process.
You’re responsible for obtaining any required permits from the town, but we can help you understand what’s typically needed for land clearing in West Glens Falls. We always call Dig Safe to mark utilities before starting any work—this is included in our service at no additional cost.
If your property has septic systems, wells, or other underground infrastructure, make sure to point these out during our initial site visit. We coordinate with local authorities to ensure all work meets West Glens Falls requirements and building codes. This prevents delays and ensures your cleared site will pass inspections when construction begins.
Yes, selective clearing is something we do regularly. We can work around mature trees you want to preserve, though it requires more precision and sometimes affects pricing. The key is identifying which trees to save before we start and understanding that construction activity near preserved trees requires careful planning.
We’ll walk through your priorities during the site visit and explain what’s realistic for your specific situation. Some trees that look healthy might not survive the construction process due to root damage or soil compaction, so we’ll give you honest guidance about which trees are worth trying to preserve and which ones should come down for safety reasons.
All debris removal and disposal is included in our land clearing service. You don’t have to worry about burn piles or finding somewhere to dump brush and stumps. We handle the complete cleanup, leaving you with a construction-ready site.
Brush and smaller material gets chipped or disposed of properly. Stumps are ground below grade so they won’t interfere with construction. We don’t leave piles of debris or expect you to deal with cleanup. Your land gets cleared completely, not just pushed around. Sometimes we can work with you to keep usable timber or wood chips if you have a use for them, but disposal is always included in the base service.
Late fall through early spring is often ideal because the ground is firmer, there are fewer environmental restrictions, and you’re not dealing with mud season. Winter clearing can actually be more efficient in this area because frozen ground supports heavy equipment better than wet spring conditions.
However, we can clear land year-round depending on your project timeline and specific site conditions. Weather does affect final grading work—we can’t do precision grading in muddy conditions—so timing depends partly on what your construction schedule requires. We’ll work with you to find the best timing for your specific project and property conditions.
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