# Cost/benefit of clear cutting land vs buying ready pasture land



## secuono (Sep 28, 2011)

Anyone know, in Virginia, how to go about getting land clear cut? How much per acre of flat to light hills does it cost? Do you need to go back and do stump removal, if so, how much does that run per acre?

I'm seeing a lot of wooded land for 70k and about 30 or so acres. Then a few grotesquely over priced areas of 190k for 18 acres wooded, worse yet, houses are going up next door!

Then there's some that happen to be dang good steals, that is if we had 200-300k! Nice pastures, 15-30 acres, 3b/2b big house that's newer or renovated. While others go back to insanely pricey, even in the 500k to 1m!

So I'm wondering what it really takes to turn a wooded section of land and turn it into pasture. Besides having to find a company to build the house, find the right spot for it, dig a well, dig septic area, make a driveway, clear lot for the house, run power to it.....It all seems very, very expensive and almost far better to just buy a house and land good to go.

We'd need bare minimum of 2 acres for the livestock, then small area for the house and barn. Rest could be done over time, but over how much time and how much cost??


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## Tyler520 (Aug 12, 2011)

First off, It doesn't have to be "option A: completely wild land" versus "option B: pre-developed land"

there will probably be several plots with/without svarious features

I would put together a matrix of what you need/want, with columns next to each feature identifying if the land you are considering has those features or not, and what the cost would be to install them if they don't. Then you can add up and compare the costs of all of these features during each site visit. You'll be left with a range of costs for developing and/or improving each plot you are considering.

you should get bids from 3 companies for each service you cannot install yourself, and use the median price as your anticipated cost (make sure they are local, if you are considering plots in different areas of the state or country).

as a final note, I would suggest to you that the idea of clear-cutting to make space for pasture or agriculture is not a good idea - forest land makes for terrible arable land


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

Clear cut? You want clear cut?

http://www.chonday.com/Videos/excamuoich2


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## DEKE01 (Jul 17, 2013)

I'm in Fairfax, not too far from you. The list of your must haves, should haves, and would like to haves is very good advice. If you don't know what you want, how will you know when you find it? 

From experience, I can tell you that unless you are clearing land that has high value timber, it is going to cost you a lot more to cut, clear, stump, and grade that land vs buying pre-cleared property. Also, if you need barns and other infrastructure, it is WAY cheaper to buy in place vs building to suit. That may mean you have to adapt things because they are not exactly what you wanted, but if $$$ is a big factor for you, pre-cleared and pre-built is the way to go. 

I cleared land in Florida. Had pro loggers remove about 50% of the merchantable trees. I bought an 12 yr old JCB loader/backhoe, the biggest one I could haul with a F-350. It still was too light weight for the job of pulling 5000 stumps and requires lots and lots of maintenance. I could not afford it if I wasn't also using it for income opportunities.


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## Muleman (Nov 8, 2013)

I would offer this. The cost is all relative to many, many variables. I could give much better info. if I had a better idea of what your goals were and what time line you had to accomplish them. Unless you are absolutely wanting a late model house, you will almost always be able to buy a older pre-owned home much cheaper than you can actually build one. I do agree with others it does not have to be all or nothing, as far as forest or fields, and much better for you and your animals if it is a mix. Right now where I live pulp wood is paying almost nothing, so most loggers are not interested in buying it at all right now. If and when the market goes back up, it could provide some income to go towards clearing. Probably not enough to cover clearing. It will cost you probably $500 to $1000 an acre for a dozer to clear ($100 an hour here, excavator $125per hour). then you will have to disc and level and seed behind that. You will clear the first year and get in a bit of ground cover, but you will be 2 years at minimum before you have any kind of established pasture, so it is not a fast process. Like I said it will really depend on your goals. If you have time and you can cut firewood to sell and clear a little along, good deal. If you want pasture now, then I would look at buying something already in pasture as making pasture from woods takes time and money. I would look for an older farm with an older house. If you are really wanting to farm this will give you the best opportunity. If you are wanting a showplace of a house with a hobby farm, this may not fit your needs. Unless there is virgin marketable timber, I would not count on a considerable amount of return to help with clearing as scrub timber will not have much return for you in today's market.


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## HoldenCaufield (Jul 27, 2014)

This thread has been very helpful for my and my planning my future homestead. Thanks!


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## Forcast (Apr 15, 2014)

talk to lots of people that have had cutting done, have the forester come out they can give you lots of info and who to have cut the wood. Go look at a cutting site! watch them work! So many people have NO idea what the land looks like after the men, trucks skidders are gone. It really is a huge mess and costs lots and lots to get it cleaned up before you can plant, build, drive do anything. My neighbors are doing some clear cutting now and it is just a nasty muddy mess, ripping up the one lane road we all have to use, the tree branches are huge and everywhere, the stumps well its alot, I cant figure out how you would clean the mess up without spending what you made on the trees to do it, pine here is a problem if you take other trees out around them the wind then gets hold of them and they get blown down., select cutting might be a better way to go. that way you can have a smaller area cut, cleaned up, stumps out. see what you get against what it costs for that x amount of land. Someone said its better to buy cleared then to clear. and plant trees that you want where you want. If you go with cutting remember you house needs trees to help protect it from hot summers and cold wind.


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## secuono (Sep 28, 2011)

Goals are listed. But w/e, looks like I was right thinking that it's far more of a huge waste and hassle to buy wooded and fix it up than just find something done and ready.


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## Muleman (Nov 8, 2013)

I will mention. Logging with skidders and tearing up the land is not a given. There are some (although few I admit) that still hire out to log with mules and draft horses, so that is always an option. Something to remember about planting trees. When is the best time to plant an oak tree if you want one??? 30 years ago!!!! It is a slow process. I fiqure at best a parson has 2 oportunities to build a farm. The first farm and possibly one more before a person is too old to actually accomplish the goal of developing a real farm. I have also heard said that 40 acres is the most one person can really keep up. The older I get the more I believe that is true. If a person really manages the resources correctly and develops it to its full potential about 40 is all you can handle. Much more if you are content to simply leave parts in woods, which is not a bad thing!


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## pkolasa (Dec 11, 2021)

I look for someone with lots of land with flowers or timber... I will bring the beehives and bees.
[email protected]


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