Brush clearing removes low growth such as saw palmetto, vines, saplings and fallen limbs while keeping established trees; land clearing removes trees as well, often including stumps for a house pad or driveway. We at Broadway Tree Care do both across Citrus County under our lot clearing service, and settle what stays with you on site.
What brush clearing covers
Brush clearing gets a piece of ground back without touching its canopy. On a Citrus County property that is usually palmetto, scrub and undergrowth, plus the dead material that has built up under the trees.
Clear brush to reopen a fence line or back acre, restore equipment access or remove undergrowth crowding a house or septic drainfield while retaining mature trees.
Lifting low live-oak limbs for mower or truck clearance is separate pruning work that can be planned with the clearing.
What land clearing covers
Land clearing removes trees, brush and undergrowth and hauls the debris away; on a building pad, settle whether stumps need full removal using our stump grinding vs stump removal guide.
An acre of light scrub and palmetto differs from an acre of mature hardwood, and carrying or winching debris out takes longer than driving a truck onto the parcel.
Budget for grading and soil if you plan to sod or seed ground left uneven and full of roots after long-standing canopy is cleared.
Brush close to the house
Clearing near the house has a fire angle. The Florida Forest Service's defensible space guidance asks homeowners to remove dense fuels within 30 feet of the home, and it names large groupings of saw palmetto, yaupon, wax myrtle and gallberry as the plants to take out when they sit close to the house, a deck or the eaves. It also says to prune tree limbs so the lowest branches are 6 to 10 feet off the ground and to thin trees so the crowns are 10 to 15 feet apart. Where a home borders heavy wildland growth, it says that cleared zone should reach 100 to 200 feet out.
Nearly all of that is brush work and trimming, and most of the trees stay.
Permits, and the trees you keep
In unincorporated Citrus County the tree ordinance protects woody plants four inches or more across at breast height, so once a clearing job starts taking out trees that size the permit question applies. Our guide to tree removal permits in Citrus County walks through it, including the cities that set their own rules and Dunnellon, which sits under Marion County. Confirm any additional wetland restrictions before booking.
We flag retained trees and plan equipment routes before machinery moves to protect root zones from compaction and delayed decline; our guide to protecting tree roots during yard construction covers other projects.
What happens to the brush
When we clear, the debris is removed as part of the job rather than pushed into a pile at the back of the lot for you to deal with.
If you are clearing some of it yourself and plan to burn, Florida has rules for yard waste. Per the Florida Forest Service the pile has to fit within 8 feet across and sit 25 feet from your house, woods and brush, 50 feet from a paved public road and 150 feet from other occupied buildings. Light it after 9 a.m. Eastern, have it out one hour before sunset, and burn only vegetative debris. A bigger pile needs an authorization from the Florida Forest Service, and your county, city or HOA can add restrictions of its own.
If you are not sure which job your property needs, get in touch and we will walk it with you and quote it in writing.