We work across the county, from waterfront and lake properties in the east to farms and wooded acreage in the west, including:

• Eastern Stafford and the water: Aquia Harbour, Widewater and properties along Aquia Creek and the Potomac

• Central Stafford: Stafford, Garrisonville and Brooke

• Rural western Stafford: Hartwood, Rock Hill and the farms and wooded acreage around them

We also work in the neighboring counties of Prince William and Fauquier, along with Fairfax and Loudoun and the rest of Virginia, including the Eastern Shore.

• Forestry mulching: one machine cuts and grinds brush and small trees in place and spreads it back over the ground as mulch. It's how we clear overgrown backyards, stream banks and wooded lots, and open up views of the water.

• Invasive species removal: clearing autumn olive, Bradford pear, multiflora rose and other invasives, without herbicides for almost all of them.

• Land clearing: traditional clearing down to clean ground, with stumps and roots pulled, for houses, driveways and building pads.

• Tree removal: large, dead and hazardous trees, trees near homes and storm cleanup.

• Excavating and erosion and sediment control: grading, slopes, drainage and culverts, plus the silt fence and other controls your plan calls for.

Invasive removal is a big part of what we do. Stafford is home to Crow's Nest Natural Area Preserve, with about 2,360 acres of mature hardwood forest, including two forest types recognized as globally rare, according to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Keeping invasive shrubs and vines in check helps protect native forests like these.

The first spotted lanternflies reported in Stafford County were found at Potomac Point vineyard, and the owner traced them to a tree of heaven about 50 feet from his vines, according to VPM. Stafford is now one of the counties where reporting is no longer required, according to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Because tree of heaven is the lanternfly's favorite host, removing it helps. Our Spotted Lanternfly page shows how to spot and control it.

We clear almost all invasives without chemicals. Tree of heaven is the one exception, and our Invasive Species Removal page explains why and what to do about it.

Stafford's clearing rules start at a smaller size than many counties, because the county is a designated Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area community. Here's what the county's rules say:

• 2,500 square feet: the county regulates land disturbance of 2,500 square feet or more, according to the county's stormwater program plan. That's a little smaller than a typical tennis court.

• Minor grading plan: clearing or grading between 2,500 and 21,780 square feet (half an acre) needs a minor grading plan, according to the county's grading plan checklist.

• Major grading plan: half an acre or more needs a major grading plan, according to the same checklist.

• Streams and shorelines: Resource Protection Areas are 100-foot buffers that are to stay undisturbed and vegetated, under Chapter 27B of the county code, according to the same checklist. If your property has a stream, pond or shoreline, ask us about it during the estimate.

During the estimate, we'll let you know what the law says for your property. The property owner is responsible for getting any permit or plan that's needed, and we install the silt fence and other controls it calls for. Because forestry mulching leaves no brush piles, there's nothing to burn.

"We contacted Kevin from VA Forestry Mulching – Excavating, for an estimate to clear our overgrown wooded growth beneath our trees, so we could get our views of the lake back... Kevin's quote was less than half the price and his work also encompassed cleaning and clearing up significantly more area than what we were quoted from the others." —Rupewvu2, Stafford, VA

"VA Forestry Mulching turned my backyard into a perfect park! I could hardly believe how much different it looks. I'm sure it has raised the real estate value of my property much more than the cost of the service!" —Eva M., Stafford, VA

"We have a stream running along the edge of our property that had become very overgrown in recent years... Kevin completed the work in two days." —J. Morris, Stafford, VA

"Kevin did a fantastic job. Showed up early and by the end of the day cleared more than I could've done with my boys in 3 weeks' time." —W. Bowman, Stafford, VA

"He cleared and mulched up the trees really well and made sure everything was left with a clean, smooth slope." —B. Alvarez, Stafford, VA

You can read all 53 of our reviews on Google.

Can you open up my view of the lake or the water? Yes. We clear the brush and small trees underneath and leave the mature trees standing, so you get your view back without losing your shade. Near streams and shorelines, the county's Resource Protection Area rules come first, so we'll go over them with you before work starts.

My stream bank is overgrown. Can you clear it? It depends on your property. Many streams in Stafford have a 100-foot Resource Protection Area buffer that the county code says is to stay undisturbed and vegetated, so what can be done inside it is limited. We'll let you know what the law says for your property before any work starts, and we'll focus on what can be cleared outside the buffer.

Will it raise my property value? We can't promise that, but our customers often tell us their land looks and works better. A cleared, park-like backyard is land you can actually use.

Do you haul anything away? With forestry mulching, no. The brush and small trees are ground into mulch and left on the ground, so there are no brush piles left behind.

How long does a job take? It always comes back to the site conditions: how dense the forest is, the size of the trees, the slope and ground, access and the weather. A common rule of thumb in the industry is about an acre a day. Production mulching, where the goal is clearing the land as quickly as possible, is the fastest. A park-like setting, where we keep selected trees and leave a cleaner, more detailed finish, takes additional time. We'll walk your property and give you an estimated timeline along with your written price.

What does it cost? Every property is different, so we price each job after walking it. The price depends on how thick the brush is, the size of the trees, slope, access and total acreage. You'll get a written price before any work starts.

Call 540-408-2114 (7 AM to 7 PM, seven days a week) or use our contact form for a free on-site estimate.