Live oaks with the understory mulched out beneath them

Land clearing & forestry mulching in San Antonio, TX

Land clearing contractors in San Antonio, TX

For acreage owners, ranchers and builders across Bexar County, from the cedar-covered limestone north of Loop 1604 to the mesquite and clay ground out past Potranco and Culebra.

Get a free estimate (512) 890-2555

Free on-site estimates
Mon–Sat, 8:00am–5:00pm

The Balcones Escarpment crosses northern Bexar County roughly along Loop 1604 and US-281 North. North and west of it is fractured limestone under a few inches of soil, canyon terrain around Helotes and Government Canyon, and Ashe juniper thick enough to make a property impassable. South and east, deep Houston Black clay takes over, and past Von Ormy and Somerset the ground turns to brush country where mesquite, huisache and prickly pear replace cedar.

Much of northern Bexar County also sits over the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone, a karst system of caves, sinkholes and fractures feeding the city’s drinking water. What happens on the surface goes underground fast, which makes San Antonio the most tightly regulated clearing market we work.

We’ll be straight about fit: we serve San Antonio for substantial acreage, where a Tigercat and a full crew make sense. The limestone and cedar north of the city behave the same way the ground around Bertram does.

Communities we work in San Antonio

Stone Oak
Timberwood Park
Helotes
Fair Oaks Ranch
Leon Springs
Grey Forest
Scenic Oaks
Bulverde
Alamo Ranch
Von Ormy
Somerset
Castroville

North side, far west side

On the north side the work is homesite prep, driveway and pad work through rock, and cedar removal around live oaks near Fair Oaks Ranch, Scenic Oaks and Grey Forest. On the far west side, between Bandera Road and the Medina River, it’s brush reclamation, fence line recovery and site prep on land being subdivided as the city pushes out.

The aquifer and the tree ordinance

TCEQ classifies land clearing as a regulated activity over the Edwards Aquifer. Before soil is disturbed, an Edwards Aquifer Protection Plan has to be filed and approved under 30 TAC 213: a Water Pollution Abatement Plan on the recharge zone or a Contributing Zone Plan on the contributing zone, with a certified geologic assessment.

The city tree ordinance starts at 6 inches and reaches into the ETJ, so being outside the city line doesn’t mean being outside the rules. Warbler nesting season (March 1 to August 31) and oak wilt timing sit on top of that, and permit lead times often set the schedule before the season does.

Services in San Antonio

What we do on San Antonio land

Every Crosscut service is available here. The machine that shows up gets decided on the owner walk-through.

Getting there

From our Bertram shop to San Antonio

From Bertram the crew comes down US-281 and I-35. The work spreads along the north side through Stone Oak, Timberwood Park, Bulverde, Fair Oaks Ranch and Leon Springs, northwest on SH-16 toward Helotes and Bandera, and out Potranco Road, Culebra Road and SH-211 past Alamo Ranch toward the Medina River, Castroville and surrounding areas.

Book a walk-through: (512) 890-2555

Why Crosscut

Why San Antonio landowners call us

1
We know what the aquifer changes
Clearing over the recharge zone needs an approved protection plan before soil moves. Knowing that up front beats finding out from a stop-work order.
2
An owner walks it before quoting
A permit question or a ledge of rock can change the whole scope, so Jordan sees the ground first.
3
Built for north-side limestone
The Tigercat M726G takes dense Ashe juniper on open acreage, and the Timberpro TL725C works the steep, rocky ground above the creeks.
4
Mulch that stays put
Over a karst aquifer with thin soil and fast runoff, leaving ground cover instead of burning and scraping is the approach that suits the land.

Reviews

Landowners say it better than we do

“He was extremely careful around my mature pine trees while making roads through the forest, clearing brush, cleaning out hunting sites for visibility and even a beautiful circular home plot site. I was also very impressed with the chainsaw work of ground crew.”
Max J.Google review
“If you need land cleared this is the company to call. They are professional and they do what they say they will.”
Karen C.Landowner, Liberty Hill, TXCrosscut customer
“We had Julio clean up a new fence line, 1/2 mile long, and clear an area about 2 acres where our house is to be built. He also did a partial clearing on a couple of acres behind the house, just took out the low brush and left the larger trees.”
Colin H.Google review

Clearing land in San Antonio: common questions

Still wondering about your property? An owner will answer it on site.

(512) 890-2555

Do I need a tree permit to clear land in San Antonio?

In most cases, yes. The Unified Development Code calls a tree significant at 6 inches across and heritage at 24, and both need a Tree Preservation Permit from the City Arborist, with mitigation up to 3:1 and a pre-construction conference. It applies in the ETJ too.

Do I need TCEQ approval to clear land over the Edwards Aquifer?

If the property is on the recharge or contributing zone, yes. A Water Pollution Abatement Plan or a Contributing Zone Plan has to be approved before soil is disturbed, usually with a certified geologic assessment. A large share of the acreage north of Loop 1604 falls under this.

Can you clear land near Camp Bullis or Government Canyon?

We work near both, carefully. That’s core golden-cheeked warbler country, and disturbing habitat during the March 1 to August 31 nesting season violates the Endangered Species Act; clearing near Camp Bullis has drawn a federal injunction before. We confirm habitat status first.

Do you work Alamo Ranch and the Potranco, Culebra and SH-211 corridors?

Yes. The far west side, outside Loop 1604 between Bandera Road and the Medina River, is the fastest-growing part of the county. It’s heavier clay than the north side, so it’s mostly mesquite and huisache reclamation, fence lines and acreage site prep, out into Medina County.

Will you take a small lot inside Loop 410?

Usually not. In San Antonio we travel for substantial acreage, where our machines and a full crew make sense for the landowner. Call and describe the lot anyway, and we’ll tell you plainly whether it’s worth us coming to look.

Can you handle caliche north of Loop 1604?

That’s what we’re set up for. Around Stone Oak, Helotes and up US-281 toward Bulverde, a driveway or trench hits rock almost at once. We crush it in place, and it often becomes the driveway base.

Nearby

Also working near San Antonio

See every county and city we work

Walk your San Antonio land with an owner

Free on-site estimate. Straight plan, fair price, before a machine rolls in.