Lot Clearing and Brush Removal — Overgrown Lots and Buckthorn
The back of the lot has grown into a wall of buckthorn and saplings, or the fence line has disappeared into brush, and you want it opened back up.
JMB Builders does lot clearing and brush removal across the Twin Cities metro and north to St. Cloud. We clear overgrown lots, buckthorn thickets, volunteer trees and grown-in fence lines, then haul the brush away, chip it, or mulch it in place with a forestry mulcher. Priced per project, usually after a site visit.
- Priced per project after a site visit
- Overgrown lots, buckthorn and fence lines
- Haul away, chip or mulch in place
- Gopher State One Call before stump work
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Brush takes over fast in Minnesota. Buckthorn, box elder and volunteer ash fill in a lot line or a back acre in a few seasons, and a fence line can vanish into it. Clearing it opens the view, gets light back on the grass, and lets you see what is actually on the property.
How the brush leaves matters as much as cutting it. It can be loaded and hauled away, run through a chipper, or ground in place with a forestry mulcher that leaves a layer of wood chips on the ground. Burn permits and city and county rules vary, and most metro cities do not allow burning brush, so hauling or chipping is the default.
Buckthorn comes back from cut stumps and from seed in the soil. Cutting is the first step. The stumps need to be ground, pulled or treated, and new sprouts dealt with for a few seasons, or it grows right back.
What you supply
- Your property lines, or survey stakes if the line is close
- Which trees and shrubs to keep, flagged or pointed out on the walk-through
- Any city or county permits your area requires for tree removal
- Notice to the neighbor if the fence line is shared
What JMB supplies
- A walk-through before the quote so we agree on what goes and what stays
- Cutting of brush, buckthorn and small volunteer trees inside the agreed area
- Hauling, chipping or forestry mulching of the material, as quoted
- Gopher State One Call (811) locates before any stump pulling or digging
- Stump grinding or pulling when it is part of the quote
- Photos of the cleared area in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Area to clear and how dense the brush is
- Size of the trees mixed in with the brush
- Haul away vs. chip vs. mulch in place
- Whether the stumps stay flush-cut, get ground, or get pulled
- Access for a skid steer or a forestry mulcher: gates, slopes, soft ground
- Work around a fence you want to keep
Send photos from a few angles and mark the area on a screenshot of the map. A site visit firms up the quote.
How long it takes
A backyard fence line or a small overgrown corner: often one day. An acre or more of dense brush: a few days depending on the method.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Fence line clearing
Brush and saplings cut back from both sides of a fence you want to keep, or cleared out along a line so a new fence can go in.
Buckthorn removal
Buckthorn cut, stumps ground, pulled or treated, and the brush hauled or chipped. Expect follow-up on new sprouts for a few seasons.
Forestry mulching
A forestry mulcher grinds brush and small trees where they stand and leaves chips on the ground. No haul-off, but the chips stay on the site.
Cut and haul
Brush cut, loaded and hauled away. The ground is left clean, ready for seed, sod or a new fence.
Lot Clearing and Brush Removal — Overgrown Lots and Buckthorn: questions, answered
What is the best way to get rid of buckthorn?
Cut it, then deal with the stumps, because a cut buckthorn stump resprouts. The stumps are ground, pulled, or treated right after cutting. Seeds in the soil keep sprouting for a few years, so small plants need to be pulled or mowed in the seasons after.
What is forestry mulching?
A forestry mulcher is a machine with a grinding head that chews brush and small trees into chips where they stand. It clears a lot without hauling brush away and leaves a layer of wood chips on the ground. It works best on dense brush and small trees, not on large trunks.
Can I burn brush after clearing my lot?
Burn permits and city and county rules vary, and most metro cities do not allow burning brush piles. Hauling the brush away or chipping it is the default. If your township allows burning, you get the burn permit and follow its conditions.
How do you clear brush along a fence without wrecking the fence?
The brush tight to the fence is cut by hand, and the machine works the rest from a distance. Vines and saplings growing through the fence are cut at the base and pulled out carefully. If the fence is shared, let the neighbor know before the work starts.
Do you need a permit to clear brush near a wetland?
Possibly. Minnesota protects wetlands, and clearing or filling near one may need a wetland delineation and a permit first. If the brush is in low, wet ground, check with your city or county before it is cut.
Is lot clearing priced per acre?
We price lot clearing per project. How dense the brush is, how big the trees are, what happens to the material and how easy the site is to get into all move the price more than the acreage alone. A site visit firms up the quote.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and for the builders and dealers we sub for. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 26, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All excavation pages
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