Land Clearing Services in Beverly, OH
Lot clearing, forestry mulching, and excavation through the Muskingum valley — from the river bottoms below Lock Number Four to the wooded hill ground back off SR 60 toward Barlow and Coal Run.
Owner-operated
30+ years in construction
Free Estimates
Our Services in Beverly, OH
Every service Buckeye Land Clearing & Excavation offers is available in Beverly, Waterford, and throughout the surrounding Muskingum valley. One crew, one point of contact, and the same equipment on site from the first pass of the mulcher through the final grade.
Land Clearing
Overgrown ground is the reason most Southeast Ohio properties sit unused. As your land clearing contractor, we open up lots and acreage for building, cut back brush and underbrush that has taken over pasture or hunting ground, and take out trees and stumps down to grade so the site is genuinely workable. We also handle right-of-way clearing and storm cleanup when downed timber has blocked access or made a property unsafe. Every job ends with the debris dealt with, not pushed into a pile at the tree line.
Forestry Mulching
Forestry mulching clears brush and small timber in a single pass and grinds it back into the ground as mulch, so there is no burning, no hauling, and no stump field left behind. It is the fastest way to reclaim pasture, open a hunting lane, or make an overgrown parcel presentable before it goes on the market. We handle brush and vegetation mulching on smaller jobs and full land reclamation mulching on acreage that has gone years without attention. The mulch layer left behind holds soil in place and breaks down into it over the following seasons.
Excavation
As excavating contractors we handle the dirt work that has to happen before anything gets built. That includes trenching for water, electric, and drainage lines, final grading and site prep so a builder can start clean, and building pads sized for residential work. We also cut in driveways and entrances and install drainage systems that move water away from structures instead of toward them. If you need land grading contractors for a finish grade rather than a full site build, that is well within what we do.
Demolition
When something on the property has to come down before the real work starts, we take care of it. We handle structure demolition on outbuildings, barns, sheds, mobile homes, and small structures, and we clear the debris rather than leaving it for someone else to deal with. Because we are already on site with an excavator, adding demolition to a clearing or excavation job is usually far cheaper than bringing in a separate contractor. Ask about it when we come out for your estimate.
Septic Systems
A septic system is often the piece that decides whether a rural parcel is buildable at all. We install new systems on cleared and excavated sites and handle repair and service work on systems that have failed or backed up. Because we do the clearing, the excavation, and the septic on the same property, the site work and the system get planned together instead of fighting each other. Ohio septic work is permitted through your county health department, and we walk you through exactly what that involves.
Brush Clearing
Brush clearing takes out the low growth — briars, saplings, volunteer scrub, and invasive shrubs like multiflora rose and autumn olive — without touching the canopy or disturbing the surface underneath. Where the root crown can be reached, we grind it below grade rather than just cutting the top, which is the difference between killing a plant and giving it a haircut it comes back thicker from. It is the practical fix for a fence row that has crept into the field, a lot you can no longer walk, or a lane that scratches every vehicle going down it. We take the small jobs, including the half-day ones most outfits will not move equipment for.
Contact Us
Getting started is easy. Contact us by phone or fill out our online form for a free estimate, and we’ll get back to you promptly to learn more about your project needs.
Beverly, OH Land Clearing & Excavation Services
Beverly has been a river town since 1789, when the Second Association of settlers pushed up the Muskingum from Marietta and put down two settlements on opposite banks — Beverly on the northeast side, Waterford on the southwest, with Wolf Creek coming in just below. Fort Frye went up here in 1791, a triangular stockade near the creek mouth, and the name still hangs on the school district. What really made the town, though, was water: the locks and dams built between 1836 and 1842 turned the Muskingum into a working river, and Lock and Dam Number Four still sits at Beverly as part of the only complete hand-operated lock system left in the country.
That river geography is the whole story for land work here. The bottomland along the Muskingum is flat, deep, and fertile — good ground, and slow to drain. It holds water into late spring, and anything you put on it has to account for where the water goes. Back from the river the ground climbs into wooded hills, and up there the problem flips: runoff moves fast and finds the low corner of whatever is below it. Wolf Creek, its west branch, and Thompson Run all run through the area, which means a lot of properties around Beverly have a creek on them or near them — and creek work comes with rules. The 2020 sinkhole under the Beverly lock wall was a reminder of what moving water does to anything sitting in it over time.
Buckeye Land Clearing & Excavation is owner-operated by Stuart Smith, who has spent more than 30 years in construction and runs the equipment himself on every job. We work out of Chesterhill, straight up the Muskingum valley from Beverly, so the run down SR 60 is a familiar one. Residential lots, farm and river-bottom ground, hunting and recreational acreage, and real estate parcels that need cleaning up before they will sell — that is the work we take, from Beverly and Waterford down through Coal Run and out toward Barlow.
How Our Land Clearing and Excavation Projects Work — Start to Finish
Free On-Site
Estimate
We walk the property with you, look at what is actually there — timber size, slope, wet ground, access — and talk through what you want the land to do when it is finished. You get a clear price with no obligation, and no charge for the visit. If financing makes the project easier, we go over those options at the same time.
Scope, Access & Permitting
We confirm the boundaries, mark anything staying, and locate utilities before a blade touches the ground. If your project needs a permit — a septic system, a drainage tie-in, a right-of-way — we tell you exactly what is required and who to file with. Nothing starts until you know the plan and the price.
Equipment
Mobilization
This is the work itself — cutting brush and trees, mulching the material back into the soil, pulling stumps, digging trenches, shaping drainage. You get the owner on the equipment for every hour of it, and a call at the end of each day if anything on site changes the plan.
Clearing, Mulching & Excavation
This is the work itself — cutting brush and trees, mulching the material back into the soil, pulling stumps, digging trenches, shaping drainage. You get the owner on the equipment for every hour of it, and a call at the end of each day if anything on site changes the plan.
Final Grade, Cleanup & Walk-Through
We set the final grade so water runs where it should, clear the debris, and leave the site ready for whatever comes next — a builder, a seed drill, or a for-sale sign. Then we walk the property with you before the equipment goes on the trailer, so nothing is left unfinished or unsaid.
Local Expertise in Beverly — We Know the Muskingum Valley
Beverly’s landscape ranges from fertile Muskingum River bottomland to steep wooded hills, creating unique challenges for land clearing and excavation. Wet bottomland requires careful timing, while hillside properties demand proper drainage planning and erosion control. With experience throughout the area, Buckeye understands how to approach each type of terrain.
We help property owners in Beverly and nearby communities with forestry mulching, land clearing, excavation, site preparation, driveway installation, and recreational property improvements. Whether you’re reclaiming overgrown farmland, preparing a homesite, or opening trails on hunting property, we provide solutions tailored to your land.
We also stay current on local permitting and environmental requirements, helping ensure projects are completed safely, efficiently, and in compliance with applicable regulations.
Ready to Get Started in Beverly?
Whether your property is down in the bottoms near Lock Number Four, across the river in Waterford, or up on the hill ground out toward Barlow and Coal Run, we will come look at it and tell you straight what it will take and when it should be done. Estimates are free, and we cover the Muskingum valley from Beverly down toward Marietta and back upriver toward McConnelsville.
Why People Call Buckeye
Buckeye is built on more than 30 years of hands-on construction experience. Owner Stuart has worked in the construction industry for decades, including running his own electrical contracting company throughout the 2000s, bringing a level of knowledge and problem-solving that goes far beyond the age of the equipment. When you work with Buckeye, the person who visits your property to provide the estimate is the same person who completes the job, ensuring clear communication and consistent results from start to finish. Because the excavator, brush cutter, and mulcher are company-owned rather than rented, projects can be scheduled more flexibly without the pressure of rental deadlines affecting decisions on your property. Buckeye also understands that land improvement projects can be a significant investment, which is why financing options are available to help make the cost more manageable by allowing payments to be spread out over time.
Free estimates on every project
Financing available
30+ years of construction experience
State of Ohio business certificate on file
Serving Southeast Ohio — Zanesville to Marietta, Logan to Pomeroy
We provide land clearing services, forestry mulching, and excavation across a 60-mile radius from our base in Chesterhill — roughly an hour and a half in any direction. That covers Muskingum, Noble, Washington, Athens, Perry, Guernsey, and Fairfield counties, along with the towns and cities below.
- McConnelsville, OH
- Beverly, OH
- Athens, OH
- Nelsonville, OH
- Glouster, OH
- Malta, OH
- Belpre, OH
- Crooksville, OH
- Marietta, OH
- Roseville, OH
- New Lexington, OH
- South Zanesville, OH
- Zanesville, OH
- Caldwell, OH
- Logan, OH
- Pomeroy, OH
- Somerset, OH
- Middleport, OH
- New Concord, OH
- Chesterhill, OH
- Barlow, OH
Frequently Asked Questions — Beverly, OH
How much does land clearing cost per acre in Beverly, OH?
It depends on the ground and what is growing on it. An acre of brush on flat river bottom clears very differently from an acre of mature hardwood on a hillside back off SR 60, and if there is a creek to work around the plan changes again. Timber density, stump removal, whether material is mulched in place or hauled off, and how difficult the access is all move the price. We do not publish a per-acre rate because it would be wrong on most properties in this valley. We come look at it, and you get a real number before any work starts.
Can you work river-bottom ground along the Muskingum?
Yes, and the timing matters more than the equipment. Muskingum bottomland is excellent ground, but it drains slowly and holds water well into spring, and working it soft causes rutting and compaction that takes a full season to recover from. We prefer to clear and grade bottomland when it is frozen or genuinely dry. We will cut swales and install drainage to move water off the property, but we will also tell you honestly that drainage improves ordinary conditions — it does not change where your land sits relative to the river.
My property has Wolf Creek running through it. Are there rules about clearing near the water?
Yes, and they apply to a lot of properties around Beverly, since Wolf Creek, its west branch, and Thompson Run all run through this area. Ohio Revised Code 6111.315 governs earth-disturbing work near surface waters: crews use a single point of stream access wherever practicable, heavy equipment stays above the ordinary high water mark unless there is genuinely no alternative, and disturbed ground has to be stabilized within seven days of final grade. On top of that, a job disturbing an acre or more needs Ohio EPA construction stormwater coverage. We work to those rules as a matter of course and will walk you through what applies to your property.
What is forestry mulching, and why would I choose it here?
A forestry mulcher grinds standing brush and small trees into chips that stay on the ground as a mulch layer, so there is no burn pile and nothing to haul away. In this valley the big advantage is that the soil stays covered. Bare dirt next to the Muskingum or along Wolf Creek is a problem waiting for the next heavy rain, and a mulch mat holds the ground while cover regrows. Mulching is the right tool for brush, saplings, and overgrown pasture. For mature timber or ground that needs to go down to bare dirt for a foundation, conventional clearing and excavation is the better choice.
Do I need a permit to clear land in Washington County, Ohio?
It depends on the size and the location. Once a job disturbs one acre — or less, if it is part of a larger common plan of development — it needs coverage under the Ohio EPA construction stormwater general permit and a stormwater pollution prevention plan. Work near the Muskingum or any creek falls under state rules on stream access and stabilization. Septic work is permitted through the county health district. We will tell you which of these apply to your specific job before you commit to anything.
When is the best time of year for land clearing around Beverly?
Late fall through winter, and in a river valley that advice is stronger than usual. Bottomland along the Muskingum is soft well into spring and working it wet leaves ruts and compaction you will be dealing with all season. In cold weather the leaves are off so you can read the property, brush is dormant, and frozen ground carries a machine cleanly. We work year-round and can handle summer jobs on hill ground without trouble, but if your project has any flexibility, the cold months will give you a better result.
Do you serve Waterford, Coal Run, Barlow, and Lowell?
Yes — all of them, along with Devola, Little Hocking, Luke Chute, and on down to Marietta and Belpre. We run about 60 miles out from Chesterhill, which puts the whole Beverly stretch of the Muskingum valley comfortably inside the service area, along with Stockport and McConnelsville upriver and Athens and Coolville to the west. If you are not sure whether your property is in range, call and ask.
Can you handle grading and drainage after the clearing is done?
Yes, and here we would push you to do both. Clearing ground in a river valley without sorting out where the water goes is how you end up with standing water in the low corner and a driveway that channels every rain. We do final grading and site prep, cut swales, install drainage systems, build drives and entrances that hold on a grade, and trench for water and utility lines. Running clearing and earthwork with one crew means nothing gets lost in the handoff between contractors, and it usually costs less than hiring two.