Land Clearing
We clear lots and acreage of trees, brush, and stumps across Montgomery County and Middle Tennessee. The ground gets cleaned up so it is ready to build on or put back into pasture.
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Nashville sits in the Central Basin, and the ground here shows it. Under a shallow layer of clay soil is solid limestone. A footing trench can start easy and hit rock a foot or two down. That same clay sheds water instead of taking it in, so rain runs across a lot and stands.
Wilson Forestry and Excavating is based in Woodlawn, just west of Clarksville. Nashville is about 50 miles southeast of Clarksville on I-24, and we travel there for excavation work. We dig footings, cut building pads, move dirt on site, and take on land clearing across Davidson County. Call or text (931) 572-8673 and we will come look at the job and give you a free estimate.
Tell us about the job and the ground. We will get right back to you.
The Central Basin was worn down out of a dome of rock, so the limestone here sits high. Around Woodlawn we work on the Highland Rim, which stands above the basin. Drive I-24 toward Nashville and you come down off that rim into different ground. The soil in the basin is clay made from limestone, and it runs thin over the rock.
Shallow rock changes how a job runs. A trench for a water line can go from dirt work to rock work in one pass. Our excavators carry a thumb, which helps lift and set loose stone as it comes out. Looking at the site first keeps the plan realistic.
Once the ground is open, the pad still has to sit right. We run grade lasers to hold elevation on building pads and grading. Then we shape the lot so water runs off it. On a Nashville lot with rock near the surface, that often means working with the grade you have.
Much of Nashville's new housing is infill. A builder buys one older lot, the old house comes down, and a new one goes up in its place. East Nashville, The Nations, Sylvan Park, and Woodbine are full of tall, narrow houses on old cottage lots. We come in for the dirt work after the old structure is gone.
These lots are tight, with a curb, a sidewalk, a house a few feet off the line, and buried utilities. Getting a machine in and out takes planning. A skid steer fits where a bigger machine will not. When the alley or the drive is the only way in, we work from there.
A grading permit from Metro Water Services covers land disturbance over 10,000 square feet. Jobs over an acre also need coverage under TDEC's construction stormwater permit. Wilson Forestry and Excavating is on TDEC's approved contractor list. We set silt fence and other erosion control measures before the dirt moves.
The Cumberland River cuts through the middle of Nashville, and creeks feed it from every side. Mill Creek starts near Nolensville and runs almost 28 miles through Antioch, Cane Ridge, South Nashville, and Donelson. Richland Creek drains the west side and flows north to the river. Browns Creek starts up in Green Hills and reaches the Cumberland below downtown.
In May 2010 more than 13 inches of rain fell in two days across Middle Tennessee. The Cumberland crested close to 12 feet over flood stage. Mill Creek, Richland Creek, Browns Creek, and Whites Creek all came out of their banks. March 2021 brought about 7 inches in 48 hours.
Most weeks the water problem is smaller and closer to the house. Clay holds rain at the surface, and an infill lot with more roof and more driveway pushes it somewhere. When water stands against a foundation, we regrade the elevation and run French drains and drainage pipe.
Not all of Davidson County is city. Past the north edge of Nashville the ground opens back up. Bordeaux, Whites Creek, and Joelton are rolling hills, hardwood, and creek bottoms, with tracts still sold by the acre. Bellevue sits about 13 miles southwest of downtown along I-40, where the Harpeth River runs.
Acreage jobs look different from infill jobs. A wooded tract needs trees and brush down before anything else happens. Forestry mulching grinds brush, saplings, and undergrowth in place with a skid steer mulcher head. On bigger stems and stumps, an excavator with a thumb pulls them out.
Our roots are in building roads for a timber company's log trucks and heavy equipment. A farm road, a construction entrance, and a haul road are the same work. We cut the road bed, lay base and gravel, and crown it so water sheds off. New gravel driveways and access roads get you back to the build site.
Communities and areas we serve around Nashville: East Nashville, The Nations, Sylvan Park, Woodbine, Inglewood, Donelson, Antioch, Cane Ridge, Bordeaux, Whites Creek, Joelton, Bellevue.
Nashville ZIP codes served: 37206, 37207, 37208, 37209, 37210, 37211, 37214, 37216, 37218, 37220, 37221.
Free estimates throughout Davidson County and the surrounding area.
(931) 572-8673 We clear lots and acreage of trees, brush, and stumps across Montgomery County and Middle Tennessee. The ground gets cleaned up so it is ready to build on or put back into pasture.
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A skid steer with a forestry mulcher head grinds brush, saplings, and undergrowth into mulch right where it stands. We also bush hog overgrown fields and pastures back to usable ground.
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We handle the dirt work before a build: building pads, cut and fill, rough and finish grading, and driveway cuts. The ground ends up level where it should be and sloped so water leaves the site.
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We build new gravel driveways, farm roads and access roads across Montgomery County and out toward Nashville. The road bed gets cut and stoned, then crowned so water sheds off instead of standing in the tracks.
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We install erosion control measures that keep soil on site and out of the ditch. Wilson Forestry and Excavating is an approved erosion control contractor with TDEC.
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Water standing in the yard or against the house needs a way out. We regrade the ground and put in French drains and pipe that carry it off.
Learn More We trench and backfill for water lines, electrical conduit, sewer lines, and septic lines. Your plumber or electrician makes the connections, and we handle the digging and the ground work.
Learn MoreA few of the questions we hear most around Nashville. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
Tell us what the job is and where the property sits, and we will get you an estimate. You can also call or text (931) 572-8673 if that is faster.
Tell us about the job and the ground. We will get right back to you.