Tree Removal
Dead, leaning or too-big trees brought down piece by piece and hauled away.
Lot & brush clearing
Land Clearing in Decatur, IL
Decatur Elite Tree Service does land clearing in Decatur, IL for overgrown lots, brushy fence lines, old windbreaks and new building sites. We cut the trees and brush, chip it on site, haul the logs and leave the ground ready for a mower, a fence or a foundation.
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Clearing Without Wrecking the Ground
Bulldozing a lot is fast, but it scrapes off the topsoil and leaves a field of buried roots and rocks. We cut everything at the ground, chip the brush, and grind stumps wherever you need a smooth surface. The topsoil stays put, and you can seed it the same season.
Decatur Elite Tree Service also provides lot clearing and brush removal to Decatur and nearby Illinois towns, including Warrensburg, Argenta, Maroa and Moweaqua. We flag the trees you want to keep on the walk-around, and they stay untouched. Last fall we cleared about 2,400 feet of fence line for farms north of town.
Contact UsTypes of Land Clearing We Do
Fence Line Clearing
Mulberry, box elder and honeysuckle yanked out of old fence rows.
Residential Lot Clearing
Overgrown city lots and side yards opened back up for mowing.
Building Site Clearing
Trees and stumps out of the footprint of a new house, shed or pole barn.
Windbreak and Tree Line Work
Dead ash and storm-snapped trees cleared from farm windbreaks and creek banks.
Land Clearing Costs
- Light brush, per acre: $1,800 to $3,000
- Mixed brush and small trees, per acre: $3,000 to $5,500
- Fence line, per 100 feet: $300 to $900
- Stump grinding in the cleared area: from $50 per stump
Priced in writing after we walk the ground with you.
What Clearing Includes
- Trees you're keeping taped and worked around
- Brush chipped on site
- Logs hauled or left for firewood
- Stumps cut flush or ground
How Much Does Land Clearing Cost in Decatur, IL?
Land clearing in Decatur usually costs $1,800 to $5,500 per acre in 2026. Light brush and saplings sit at the low end. Thick brush with trees over six inches across, steep creek banks or a lot of stump grinding push it higher. Small jobs like a single fence line are priced by the foot instead.
What We Clear Most Around Decatur
Honestly, it's mostly the same few plants. Bush honeysuckle and mulberry fill old fence rows. Box elder and silver maple seedlings take over an empty lot in a few years. Along creeks and the Sangamon River bottoms it's cottonwood and willow. And there's still plenty of dead ash standing in tree lines from the emerald ash borer.
We handle residential lots in town, acreage on the edge of Decatur, and farm tree lines out toward Warrensburg and Argenta. If it's mostly brush, chips stay on site as mulch. If you want a clean field, we haul everything. Storm piles count too: we do tree debris removal after windstorms on lots and farm lanes.
Before You Build
Clear a building site before the excavator shows up. Stumps left in the footprint cost the excavator time and can rot under a slab later. We clear and grind the footprint, then leave the trees you want for shade with a buffer, so construction doesn't kill their roots. We do 8 to 10 of these a year for builders and families.
Storm Claim? We Document It
Photos before we cut, a written description of what fell and what it hit, and an itemized invoice your insurer can read.
Contact UsWinter Trimming List
Get on our December to February list. Dormant trees, frozen ground and 10% off trims over $400.
Contact UsQuestions we hear
Land Clearing FAQs
Do you need a permit to clear land in Macon County?
Most of the time, no, if it's brush and trees on your own land and not in a floodplain. Clearing along a creek, inside a mapped floodplain, or in a subdivision with covenants can need a sign-off first. If something on your lot looks like it needs a phone call, we'll flag it before any saw starts.
What happens to all the brush?
Straight into the chipper, right there on site. You can have the chips spread across the cleared dirt to hold down weeds and mud, or we haul them so you get bare soil. Decent logs get cut to firewood length and stacked, or they leave with the rest.
Can you leave some trees standing?
Sure. Before anything gets cut, you and our crew lead walk the ground and wrap bright tape on every tree that stays. The crew cuts around them, and we keep the machines off their roots, so a tree you saved doesn't quietly die a year later.
Our Other Tree Services
Tree Trimming
Deadwood out, limbs off the roof, crowns thinned for the next storm.
Stump Grinding
Stumps chewed out below the grass line, ready for seed.
Emergency Tree Service
Storm calls 24/7: trees lifted off roofs, cars and driveways.
Crane Tree Removal
Giant trees over houses lifted out one piece at a time.
Commercial Tree Service
Trims, removals and storm work for businesses, HOAs and landlords.
Free walk-around
Got a Tree That's Bothering You?
Leave your name, number and a line about the tree. We call back to set up a walk-around, and the written price follows within 48 hours.
- Written price within 48 hours
- 24/7 storm and emergency calls
- Clean-up included in every price