How to Prepare Your Property for Land Clearing

Preparation makes a significant difference in how smoothly a land clearing project goes. When our crew arrives at a well-prepared property, we can start work immediately, work efficiently, and avoid costly surprises. When we arrive at an unprepared site — no utility locates done, no trees marked, no site access discussed — the best case is delays; the worst case is damaged utilities or removed trees the owner wanted to keep. This guide covers everything you should do before your clearing crew arrives. Our Ontario land clearing guide provides broader context on the overall process.

Step 1: Call Ontario One Call (Get Utility Locates)

This is the most important step, and it's legally required in Ontario before any ground disturbance. Call Ontario One Call at 1-800-400-2255 or visit ontario1call.ca to request that all underground utilities be located and marked on your property. The service is free, and the marks remain visible for two weeks.

Underground utilities that may cross your property: electrical conduit, natural gas lines, telecommunications cables, water and sewer mains, and agricultural tile drainage lines. Striking a gas line with equipment is dangerous. Cutting a fibre optic cable can cost thousands to repair and will make you liable for the repair cost.

Request locates at least 5 business days before your clearing date. For agricultural properties in Simcoe County, also ask about tile drainage lines — these may not be registered with Ontario One Call and you may need to identify them through historical records or a drainage contractor.

Step 2: Obtain Any Required Permits

Don't schedule clearing work before your permits are in hand. In municipalities with tree preservation bylaws (Barrie), conservation-regulated areas (Muskoka, Innisfil), or other permit-required zones, clearing without a permit can result in stop-work orders, fines, and mandatory restoration at your cost.

Permit processing times vary: City of Barrie tree permits take 3–6 weeks, Muskoka Watershed Council permits take 4–8 weeks, LSCA permits take 4–8 weeks. Start your applications as early as possible. Our article on Ontario land clearing permits gives full details by region.

Step 3: Mark the Trees You Want to Keep

Before clearing day, walk your property and mark every tree you want to keep. Use bright surveyor's flagging tape (orange, pink, or yellow — something that stands out from natural vegetation). Wrap the tape around the trunk at eye level so it's visible from the operator's seat.

For Muskoka and cottage properties, this step is particularly important. The mature pines, hemlocks, and specimen maples that give a property its character need to be explicitly identified before work begins. Never assume the crew knows which trees you want to keep — assume they cannot distinguish a treasured 150-year-old pine from one you're happy to remove unless you mark it.

Walk the property with your clearing contractor before work begins and review the marked trees together. This is standard practice for our crew on selective clearing jobs — we walk first and confirm.

Step 4: Establish Site Access

Our equipment arrives on transport trucks, then is driven off the trailer and into the work area. The transport truck needs a level area to park and a safe, level unloading point. The clearing equipment needs a path into the work area that's wide enough and firm enough for tracked equipment to travel safely.

Before your clearing date: confirm the access route from the road to the work area. If there's a soft section of lane that might sink under equipment, address it — add crushed stone, lay track mats, or identify an alternate route. Make sure overhead obstructions (power lines, overhanging branches) won't interfere with the transport truck or equipment.

For urban lots in Barrie or residential areas, discuss access timing with us — some residential streets have parking restrictions or truck access limitations at certain hours.

Step 5: Remove Personal Property from the Clearing Area

Walk the clearing area and remove or flag any items that shouldn't be disturbed: buried septic tanks and risers (mark them clearly with stakes), decorative stones, garden ornaments, metal or wooden fencing within the clearing boundary, and any structures you want protected. If there's a well on the property, mark it clearly so it isn't driven over.

Step 6: Discuss Debris Disposal Before Clearing Day

Know in advance what will happen to the cleared material. If we're using forestry mulching, the mulch stays on site. If we're doing traditional clearing with debris removal, you need an approved disposal location identified in advance. Open burning on rural properties requires a burn permit from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources — don't assume burning is permitted without checking first.

What to Do on Clearing Day

Be available by phone. Our operators will call if they encounter unexpected utilities, buried features, or unclear boundaries. Having you reachable avoids a work stoppage while we wait for direction. If you can be on site at the start of the day to walk the property with the crew one final time, that's ideal.

Use our free estimator to get pricing for your project, then call us at 647-492-3577 to discuss your specific preparation questions.