The State Government has bowed to pressure from farmers to relax controversial laws on land clearing that have led to a series of bitter court battles.

The changes come after Munglinup farmer Max Szulc served 15 months jail for breaching an order not to clear native vegetation on his property and other high-profile cases.

Under the changes, farmers will be able to clear 5ha of native vegetation a year for farm management purposes and infrastructure projects.

The existing limit of 1ha a year has caused a major headache for farmers and been policed through analysis of satellite images covering millions of hectares of agricultural land.

The Government also moved to slash protection of native vegetation regrowth on land previously used for agriculture.

Farmers can now unlock land legally cleared for agriculture in the past 20 years, double the current limit of 10 years.

Environment Minister Albert Jacob said the changes would take effect from tomorrow and he flagged cutting more red tape to make it easier for farmers to manage their land.

"They are intended to reduce regulatory burdens that prohibit future growth and success for land owners and managers, and help farmers get on with managing their land," he said.

The move comes weeks after South West farmer Peter Swift won a three-year court battle over land clearing and follows years of intense lobbying by WAFarmers and the Pastoralists and Graziers Association.

The Government is considering further amendment to the Environmental Protection Act to streamline clearing approvals and is committed to replacing the Wildlife Conservation Act.

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State eases land-clear rules - South West

Since our beginning as a small land clearing company in the mountains of North Carolina, Phillips and Jordan has grown to become one of the largest land clearing contractors in the United States. We have cleared and grubbed swamp, agricultural, forest, and mountain land for reservoirs, power transmission lines, roadways, pipelines, railroads, airports, and site development projects across the nation.

The majority of our clearing supervisors have worked their way up through the ranks. They have years of experience and knowledge that can only be gained by actually doing the work. Our equipment operators are skilled in the art of clearing land. They know what works best, and can quickly and efficiently perform their tasks. In addition to our highly experienced supervisors and operators, we have a fleet of specialized equipment set up specifically for land clearing.

P&J has earned a reputation for taking on and successfully completing difficult clearing jobs that others would not consider. The combination of our knowledge and experience with our specialized equipment allows us to say, with confidence, we can clear anything, anywhere.

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home section Interior Design Housekeeping Entertaining Home Improvement Gardening & Plants Landscaping eHow Home & Garden Garden & Lawn Soil Effects of Land Clearing

Lindsey Leach

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Land clearing impacts the environment significantly, whether it is a small scale or large scale clearance. When land clearing is extensive the effects can be irreversible, but when the clearing is minimal the effects can be reversed. The threat to the environment lies with the irreversible clearance and can destroy an entire ecosystem causing environmental threats, such as green house gas emissions, a rise in soil salinity, the destruction of natural habitats for animals, the decrease and even extinction in indigenous flora and fauna, as well as erosion. Extensive land clearing is a problem in Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania.

For the most part, land clearing has been utilized to make way for agricultural and urban development. In the past, governments and people thought that if land was left on its own that it was being "wasted" when it could be put to good use to be developed for agricultural purposes. By taking scrub land, clearing it, and turning it into fields for crop production not only was the increase in land value raised, but so was economic gain for the community. While at one time land clearing was seen as beneficial and even progressive, it is now generally viewed as destructive. Since more environmental awareness has taken hold, countries which use land clearing keep legislative regulation on its use. Despite the known negative environmental impact, farmers worldwide object to the restriction of land clearance because it effects their crop production and how much land they have available to them.

Land clearing is used to clear often untouched lands that were originally a habitat for native flora and fauna. To clear land for agricultural purposes one must not only remove native plants, trees and boulders, but also must break up the soil. Breaking the soil includes the removal of rocks, roots and stumps left behind by the initial clearing. Once the soil is broken, the land is cleared and ready for agricultural use.

The effects of mass land clearing can severely affect a natural habitat not only for the plants and animals that live in the area, but for nearby human populations as well. When native plants and trees are removed this makes room for invasive species to take over, which pushes out the area's indigenous animals causing a rise in rates of extinction. This decreases the biodiversity of an area can upset the delicate balance of an ecosystem that relies on its native flora and fauna to maintain a biological system of checks and balances.

Land clearing puts a strain not only on native animal populations but on the earth itself. By removing plants and trees the land is being left exposed, which can cause soil erosion. Soil erosion is the loss of natural nutrients in the earth that help plants to grow. Leaving land bare to the elements can also cause a problem in dry land salinity. Dry land salinity is the rise of salt to the surface of the ground by means of groundwater. When plants are removed from the earth their root systems go with them. These root systems are responsible for keeping the groundwater levels down and therefore the salt content low in the soil. When the roots are removed the groundwater levels rise along with the salt. This not only causes a desert like landscape but also makes it near impossible for plants to flourish, whether they be native or agricultural plants. This in turn affects the health of nearby streams, creeks and rivers, and ultimately affects the drinking water of animal and human populations. Additionally, the emission of green house gases can occur when trees and logs are left after being felled. As the debris rots the greenhouse gasses are released into the are which some scientists believe deplete the ozone layer.

By using land clearing in a small scale setting, such as a back yard and gardening area, the effects are far less severe compared to agricultural related land clearing. In order to prevent mass environmental negative impact, land clearing should be prevented. However, such a thing is not always possible so in order to reduce the effects on the environment land clearing should be regulated. Instead of clearing large tracts of land all at once and then leaving the soil open to the elements, it would be better to replant the clear space quickly so as to prevent soil erosion and soil saliently. To help maintain natural habitats, such as wetlands for native species, some contractors who clear land have to buy additional land to be converted into wetlands in an attempt to balance out the loss.

Since agriculture is the greatest means of food production no permanent solution can found at this time. By being active in an environmental organization and lobbying your representatives to have tighter restrictions on land clearing, you can certainly contribute to the growing awareness of its negative effects.

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Land Clearing

Land clearing work is varied in its scope and size. Terrain, density of the vegetation, soil stability, moisture, species to be treated, environmental concerns and obstacles to work around are some of the considerations when choosing the right machine for the application. The required finish and the needed production rates can also be a factor when determining the correct tool for the job. The truth is there are a lot of choices and not one machine is always right for every job.

Clearing the land, whether it is for commercial or residential construction or for esthetics and grounds maintenance can present challenges. The successful landclearing contractor will usually approach the job with a variety of units including tracked mulching machines, excavator mulchers and skid steer tractors equipped with mulching attachments as well as other tools to handle the many tasks found on the average landclearing site.

Commercial or large acreage jobs could require the high production capabilities of the more powerful large tracked mulching tractors. For wet or swampy conditions low ground pressure mulching tractors would fit the bill. These tractors are used by successful high production landclearing contractors in a variety of climates and in extreme ground conditions.

Residential or urban interface projects could utilize smaller and lighter tracked mulching tractors effectively on softer ground conditions or where more detailed work is needed. A variety of undercarriage specifications help keep the machine moving and can reduce the ground disturbance while offering the production rates needed. Depending on the intended use tree shears, winches, and grapples for harvesting and handling, are useful attachments for any machine and can make any unit into a multipurpose high yielding and profitable investment.

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Land Clearing - Fecon

Land clearing in Australia describes the removal of native vegetation and deforestation in Australia. Land clearing involves the removal of native vegetation and habitats, including the bulldozing of native bushlands, forests, savannah, woodlands and native grasslands and the draining of natural wetlands for replacement with agriculture, urban and other land uses.

As much as 70% of Australia's native vegetation has been cleared or modified in the past 200 years, most of which has occurred in the last 50 years.[citation needed] Prior to European settlement native vegetation covered most of Australia but now only 87% of Australia's natural forests remain. In total 13% of Australia's native vegetation has been lost due to land clearing, with the majority of this being native forests and woodlands.[2]

Tasmanian (in Australia) ancient and unique temperate rainforest areas, were in the risk of being converted into wood plantations for Japanese paper factories In 2007. The swamp gum tree or Tasmanian Oak (Eucalyptus regnans) is the worlds largest flowering plant and the tallest hardwood tree in the world.[3]

The primary motivator for land clearing in Australia is agricultural production. Where soil fertility and rainfall allow, the clearing of land allows for increased agricultural production and increase in land values. Land clearing was seen as progressive, and there was the general view that land was wasted unless it was developed.

Historically[when?], land clearing has been supported by the Commonwealth and State Governments as an essential part of improved productivity essential for national economic prosperity. A range of institutional incentives for agriculture increased the economic gain from land clearing, with offerings of cheap land along with venture capital in the form of loans or tax concessions. Other incentives included the War Service Land Settlement Scheme, low interest bank loans and financial support programs such as drought relief assistance.

The majority of cleared land in Australia has been developed for cattle, sheep and wheat production. 46.3% of Australia is used for cattle grazing on marginal semi-deserts with natural vegetation. This land is too dry and infertile for any other agricultural use (apart from some kangaroo culling). Some of this grazing land has been cleared of "woody scrub". 15% of Australia is currently in use for all other agriculture and forestry purposes on mostly cleared land. In New South Wales, much of the remaining forests and woodlands have been cleared, due to the high productivity of the land. Urban development is also the cause of some land clearing, though not a major driver. In The Australian Capital Territory for example, much urban development has occurred on previously cleared agricultural land.

Bushfires in Australia are frequently occurring events during the hotter months of the year.

Land clearing destroys plants and local ecosystems and removes the food and habitat on which other native species rely. Clearing allows weeds and invasive animals to spread, affects greenhouse gas emissions and can lead to soil degradation, such as erosion and salinity, which in turn can affect water quality.

The following table shows the Native Vegetation Inventory Assessment (NVIS)[2] of native vegetation by type prior to European settlement and as at 2001-2004.

Effects Land Condition As land cover is crucial to land condition, land clearing exerts significant pressure on land condition. Removal of vegetation also leaves soil bare and vulnerable to erosion. Soil stability is essential to avoid land degradation.

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UTILAJ CAT 289 D CU TOCATOARE FORESTIERA-Land Clearing equipment, forestry mulcher for skid-steers
Utilajul apartine societatii SILVA PERILAND BRAILA. http://WWW.periland.ro.

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Grub-N-Rake Skid Steer Attachment for Grubbing and Land Clearing More Efficiently
Grub-N-Rake details can be found at http://www.dansmachineandwelding.com This dual purpose implement is made for grubbing, raking, and land clearing with more efficiency and less time wasted....

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Grub-N-Rake® Skid Steer Attachment for Grubbing and Land Clearing More Efficiently - Video

Land Clearing in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana is an ever growing need. We specialize in forestry-mulching, a method of land clearing in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana that is an environmentally friendly alternative to the problem of unsightly burn piles. There is little ground disturbance while enriching the soil with the remaining mulch.

With our method, there is no erosion, the mulch aids in the retention of the soil, and all material is left on the ground as mulch. While there is no need for costly debris haul-off and/or unsafe site burns, the end result is a cost saving, environmentally friendly process, which ultimately enhances the aesthetic appearance of the property. There will be no damage to the root systems; roots of desired trees are left untouched and unharmed.

Benefits:

Three Main Services we offer:

Our company has up-to-date equipment and experience that makes us equipped to handle all sizes of jobs, from a small lot to hundreds of acres, residential or commercial.

Contact Whitehead Land Clearing at 832-338-7004 for all of your land clearing needs in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana.

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Cummins ISX Engine ReBuild (Walk Around) - In this video, we show our latest mechanical project. A total rebuild of a Cummins ISX Diesel Engine. This engine ...

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Jennifer Gittins

Jennifer Gittins began freelance writing in 2006. Her articles have appeared on the websites of "Wall Street Journal" and "USA Today." Gittins enjoys covering a variety of topics, including pet care, green living, interior design, architecture and gardening. She is pursuing a bachelor's degree in interior design and an associate's degree in architecture.

Land clearing can be a difficult task. Once you've bought a plot of land, it is often necessary to clear the land before you can begin any building. In some cases, clearing land can be simple and nearly cost-free, especially if you have the right tools. In other cases, you may need to invest a lot of time and money to clear your chosen plot of land.

Depending on the size of your land and the amount of trees, brush, plants and other debris on the land, you will need a variety of tools to complete the task. If your plot of land is small or only has a few saplings and bushes, then you may be able to clear the land in a single weekend with basic hand tools, such as a shovel and a hand saw.

In the event that your plot of land has several large trees or a denser population of trees, you may need to break out some larger, more aggressive tools. This can include chain saws, bulldozers, backhoes and other large scale equipment. It's important to use the right equipment in order to save time and do an efficient job.

Before you begin any land clearing, you should check with your local government regarding any necessary permits that you may need. Some local governments require permits for land clearing as well as regulations on how to properly dispose of the timber. Many governments have regulations as to what can and cannot be done in regard to composting, tree removal and so forth. If you're building anything, you will also need various building permits and so forth. Land clearing is considered to be damaging to the environmental issue and there can be serious fines and fees for disregarding local laws and regulations.

If you have potentially useable timber on your land, you may want to consider saving as much of the lumber as possible. It is likely that you can reuse the lumber on your project, or you can sell it. There are even companies who will come and take down the lumber for you and pay you a small portion of the money for the timber.

When you begin tearing down trees, consider what technique you're going to use in order to remove the trees and their roots. One common technique involves trimming large trees down to a small three-foot stump and then "pushing" the stump out of the ground with a bulldozer. This is important because removing the roots can help prevent any further growth from occurring. Root removal can be particularly important if the tree is located within the area of your project.

Use the wrong tools and you are sure to increase your frustration and fatigue. Though clearing land isn't rocket science, taking a...

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