Land Clearing: Eco-Friendly Techniques

As Canada’s population continues to rapidly expand, it’s necessary to take over more and more forested areas to make room for necessary development. While land clearing is necessary, that doesn’t mean it has to be the slash and burn type clearing that was seen in the past. In fact, these days, there are a number of rather eco-friendly options for removing trees and clearing terrain.

It is vital that we preserve as much as we can of the natural beauty in this country. Doing as little ecological damage as possible is part of building these days, now that we know just how badly things can get when the proper protocol isn’t followed.

In the past, bulldozers were the most common method of clearing terrain, but these machines are terribly destructive. They tend to tear up the ground and leave scarring of the earth that lasts for years. Even smaller bulldozers can cause erosion which not only means that the land becomes essentially useless for growing over time, but can also cause issues for builders who need to ensure the stability of the area.

Conventional land clearing techniques kill everything on a piece of land and it is usually necessary to restore value to the area through expensive landscaping. The burning of debris and cuttings is also detrimental to the environment, but until recently, this was the most common method of getting rid of everything that was torn up by a bulldozer.

Forest Mulchers: A Better Way

For truly eco-friendly land clearing, a forest mulcher should be used. These innovative little machines allow you to clear areas of any size without causing permanent damage to the terrain. Instead of scarring and tearing the land up, mulch clearing offers a much better alternative to bulldozing an area.

Often, the actual building area is not as large as the area cleared. Once the building is in place, the area around it is able to return to nature, more or less. With mulching, this is possible, whereas more conventional clearing methods would require replanting of these areas. Instead, with the mulcher, you’ll find that the land stays fertile, thanks to returning the plants to the ground in the form of natural compost.

The forest mulcher clears areas by shredding or chopping any trees, stumps or large plants into fine mulch and scattering it. This eliminates the need for cleanup and also turns the vegetation removed into something the earth can use, which is as environmentally friendly as you can get when it comes to construction. In addition, laying down a layer of mulch helps prevent erosion from removing the top soil, which is necessary for plant health.

Finding new ways to keep Canada sustainable and ensuring that our expansion of towns and cities is as friendly to the environment as possible is very important. With the right land clearing techniques, we can keep construction from being too hard on the land and encourage re-growth in areas that have been disturbed. The forest mulcher is just one way to do this.

To learn more about Canadian forestry and Torret Technical Inc.’s forestry products, please contact us.