A lot of clients reach out wanting a cost to clear their land and for many, this is their first time dealing with land clearing. They usually don’t have any knowledge or experience, they just want to know:
“How much will it cost to clear my property?”
Before we can give an accurate proposal, there are a few simple questions we always ask:
What type of clearing are we looking to do?
Forestry mulching, selective clearing, full clearing, or a combination?
What’s the end goal for the property?
Building a home? Creating access? Cleaning up overgrowth? Making the land walkable?
Has a survey been done?
This helps with boundaries, setbacks, easements, and planning.
What condition is your property in?
Every property is different.
Some are overgrown pastures that haven’t been maintained for years.
Some are properties that have been lived on for years and they are just looking to have trails made throughout.
Some are new pieces of land where the owner just wants access to walk the property and get a sense of the layout.
Others are dense Florida woods filled with hardwoods, palmettos, or a mixture of everything.
Each situation requires a different approach and that’s where DBH comes in.
DBH stands for Diameter at Breast Height, measured 4.5 feet up the trunk.
It tells us the true size of the trees on your property.
DBH determines:
Which package your land falls into
What our mulcher can safely process
What equipment is needed
How long your project will take
How to price your project accurately
Two acres of small saplings is not the same as two acres of 10-inch hardwoods.
DBH ensures you’re getting the correct package for your specific vegetation.
Our Forestry Mulching Packages (4”, 6”, 8”, and 10” DBH)
Tree Shop is led by Jeremiah Anderson who invented and has been perfecting the math of DBH Packages. When he productized this service years ago into packages, he knew he was onto something. Over the years we have learned that our most common packages are simply sold as 2 inch increments. Lots of math and research over the last 5 years full time has gone into this so read more on our website if you want to learn more about that. SO, with that being said, Tree Shop offers four mulching packages based on the size of trees our machines are designed to mulch efficiently:
4-inch DBH Package
6-inch DBH Package
8-inch DBH Package
10-inch DBH Package
Can we mulch trees larger than 10 inches?
Yes technically, we can.
However, it is not efficient, not worth the cost, and not fair to the customer. And the math of mulching trees bigger than 10 inches is ridiculous when you understand that trees scale in volume exponentially. So…
Once a tree exceeds 10 inches:
It becomes extremely time consuming to mulch
It puts unnecessary wear on the mulcher
It dramatically slows production
It increases your cost without increasing value
At that point, the correct method is to bring in an excavator and do tree removal, not mulching.
For trees larger than 10 inches, we switch to:
✔ Excavator removal (tree + stump)
✔ Grubbing the area to remove root systems
✔ Then depending on your plan for the land:
Hauling off debris
Burning it (if permitted)
Saving logs for firewood
This method is faster, cleaner, more cost-effective, and prepares the land properly for future development.
Everyday Object Comparisons
(So DBH Finally Makes Sense)
Most people don’t walk around measuring trees or carry a DBH tape measure.
So here’s a simple way to understand DBH using everyday objects you already recognize:
**2.5” DBH **= Energy Drink Can (Not a package — just a visual guide.)
4” DBH Package= Softball
6” DBH Package= Gallon of Milk (≈6.5”)
8” DBH Package= Salad Plate
**10” DBH Package= **Dinner Plate (≈10–10.5”)
These everyday objects make it easy to walk your property and estimate tree size without tools or experience.
How We Evaluate Your Property Before Sending a Proposal
Before you ever receive pricing, we perform a full remote assessment:
✔ Satellite review
✔ DBH Assessment Recommendations
✔ Wetlands check
✔ Access point assessment
✔ Site plan creation
✔ Matching your land to the correct package
Your proposal is based on real data, not guesswork.
Why DBH Matters for You
Knowing your DBH range ensures:
Accurate pricing
Proper equipment brought the first time
Faster, cleaner clearing
No miscommunication between us and the landowner
No surprises
A plan aligned with your goals
Whether it’s a neglected pasture, a dense hardwood section, or a new property you’re just trying to walk and plan, we make the process simple and transparent.
I hope this helps
We know many clients are completely new to land clearing and that’s why we created this guide.
Our goal is to give you a clear, everyday way to understand DBH and our Forestry Mulching Packages using common household items instead of tape measures or technical terms.
These familiar comparisons help you understand exactly what each package includes so you can feel confident and prepared when planning your land-clearing project.
Lacey Anderson has been working in the tree industry for over 5 years now. All of which has been at the management level operating full scale tree service and land clearing companies. Her expertise is in customer service, accounting, operations, and budget management. Her articles are here to bring a different perspective with the intent of helping you make the best decisions about your land you can.
Originally published on TreeShop Substack