Jason flags the keeps before anything gets cut
Most clearing outfits show up, drop everything with a diameter, and leave you a dirt rectangle where a hundred-year maple used to be. Jason Lewis walks the parcel with you first. He's owner-operated, family-focused and Black-owned, based on Paris Avenue in south Grand Rapids, and he's been doing this for more than ten years with a crew carrying 25+ years of combined experience. On a typical residential job, selective clearing is the default: the buckthorn, the junk box elder, the leaning hazard and the invasive understory come out, and the oaks and maples that make the finished build worth something stay standing — with their root zones protected from equipment compaction while we work around them.
That flagging happens tree by tree, together, before a saw starts. If you're working from a builder's site plan, bring it. We'll mark keeps versus removals, identify the access routes for equipment and haul trucks, and write it all into the scope so nobody is guessing on day one.
"Glad I waited for the right professional. Jason was very careful in his approach with my tree fallen after the storm. If not for him I would have definitely damaged my roof. Very happy." — Tom, Google review
What a clearing job actually includes
Lot clearing covers everything between wooded parcel and ready site. Tree removal at every size, brush and understory cutting, stump grinding or full extraction, and haul-away of all debris. We clear residential lots ahead of garage, addition and pole barn builds, new-construction parcels for builders, and long-neglected acreage that has gone feral behind a fence line.
- Site walk and flagging — we walk the parcel with you or your builder's plan, mark keeps versus removals, and map access.
- Written scope — an itemized quote covering trees, brush, stumps, haul-away and the grade of finish, from rough-cleared to seed-ready.
- Clear and process — trees felled or dismantled, brush cut, everything chipped, bucked or hauled as agreed. Merchantable wood can offset the cost.
- Stumps and finish — stumps ground 6 to 12 inches below grade, or fully extracted where a foundation or driveway is going in. Debris gone, site left at the agreed grade.
Small residential clearings usually finish in a day. Wooded acreage runs longer, and you'll get a realistic schedule up front rather than a shrug. You'll also know the disposal plan before we start: chips can stay on-site as ground cover, which is often the cheaper route, or be hauled out. Firewood-grade hardwood can be bucked and stacked wherever you want it at no extra charge, sold to offset the invoice, or removed entirely.
What moves the price on a Grand Rapids lot
Clearing gets quoted per job, not per acre off a chart. Honest pricing requires somebody standing on the parcel. These are the factors that move the number, and we'll tell you straight which trees you can leave standing to bring it down:
- Tree count, size and the species mix
- Stump handling — grind, extract, or leave in place
- Access for equipment and haul trucks
- Debris hauled off versus chipped and spread on-site
- Slope, wetness and any ground protection needed
- The finish you need: rough-cleared or fully build-ready
The site walk is free and ends with a fixed written number. From the Paris Ave SE yard, most of the metro is within 20 minutes in normal conditions, so scheduling a look at your parcel rarely takes long. Diversified Tree Company LLC is a BBB accredited business rated 5 out of 5 from 13 reviews, and we work residential and commercial sites across Grand Rapids, Wyoming, Grandville, Byron Center, Caledonia, Moline, Jenison, Hudsonville, Dorr, Ada, Wayland, Alto, Marne and Comstock Park.
When clearing is the right call
- Building a garage, addition, pole barn or new home
- Reclaiming an overgrown backyard or fence line
- Buckthorn and invasive understory taking over
- A storm-wrecked woodlot that needs a reset
- Preparing a parcel for sale or survey
- Opening sightlines or sun for gardens and solar
Permits, insurance and what happens to the stump
Clearing raises questions that a price sheet can't answer — whether the township wants paperwork, whether a drain easement cuts through the back half, what happens to eight cords of oak once it's on the ground. We sort those during the site walk, before anything is cut, and the answers go in writing with the quote. The phone is answered around the clock, so storm-damage clearing doesn't wait for Monday.
"I had 2 trees growing over and around my house." — Marvin Fulbright, Google review