Forestry Mulching and Land Clearing in Lee County, FL: Cape Coral, Lehigh Acres, Fort Myers
Lee is the biggest lot-clearing market in Florida, mostly on wet flatwoods. Slash pine, palmetto, standing water June to October. Our Punta Gorda crew covers Cape Coral, Lehigh and Fort Myers inside the 75-mile circle: skid steer mulcher, $2,600 a day, transport included. I've cleared flatwoods since 2012 and spent six months on Ian debris here. Send the form or call (352) 619-3597. Brandi texts you a scheduling window within the hour.
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Forestry Mulching in Lee County: Palmetto Mulched in Place
Forestry mulching is 90 percent of the land clearing in Lee County we do. The mulcher grinds slash pine, saw palmetto and wax myrtle into a mulch layer two to four inches deep and leaves the root mat alone. On hydric flatwoods the mulch holds the sand against erosion, and the machine floats where a dozer sinks. A bush hog alone fails here: palmetto comes back from the root crown in one wet season. Melaleuca and Brazilian pepper on the fence line get cut-stump treatment within minutes or they resprout. Our mulching services reclaim overgrown land, stems to 8 inches on the skid steer. Mosquitoes run the night shift on these flatwoods and never call in sick.
Land Clearing Services Available in Lee County
Professional land clearing services in Lee County run from a quarter-acre infill lot to 40 acres of agricultural land, residential and commercial.
- Forestry mulching: palmetto, pine and hardwood undergrowth ground in place.
- Lot clearing and site prep for the pad, driveway and drain field.
- Brush clearing and underbrushing under the live oaks you keep.
- Selective clearing: we take the pepper and dead pines, you keep the shade.
- Tree removal and stump grinding, $4.50 per inch, $150 minimum.
- Pond excavation, septic, wells and concrete: not our work services. I know people who do.
A land clearing service removes what is in the way. We remove unwanted vegetation and leave what holds the sand.
Lot Clearing and Acreage for New Homes in Cape Coral and Lehigh Acres
Lee County's builders pulled 9,962 single-family permits in 2025 by the Census Building Permits Survey, first in Florida. Cape Coral alone issued about 2,013. Lehigh and Alva sit on county permits, so the unincorporated count is the proxy. Most residential land clearing here is small residential lots, a quarter to half an acre. A half-acre lot is one day of skid steer, $2,600. A quarter-acre infill lot is $1,800 flat. Low lots take 2 to 4 feet of fill after site preparation; wrong grading sends the water next door. Property development on the 2.5-acre tracts off SR 82 runs by the acre. Two days transform a palmetto lot into a dry pad. Homeowner or builder, send the survey.
How Much Does Land Clearing Cost in Lee County?
Palmetto and pine flatwoods run $1,500 to 2,500 an acre here, by density. Full clearing to dirt with stumps is $3,000 to 5,500. Priced first: the gopher tortoise survey, $400 to 900, and the wet-season day, June through September, one extra day on muck.
- Skid steer forestry mulcher: $2,600 a day, transport included within 75 miles.
- Dedicated 300-hp mulcher: $4,000 a day plus transport.
- Melaleuca or Brazilian pepper thickets: add $500 an acre.
- Dirt work with the dozer, grubbing and root rake: $170 an hour.
- Haul-off: $700 to 1,300 per 10-yard load.
After Ian we hauled 9 loads off one acre in Punta Gorda for $8,100. The free quote is an on-site estimate anywhere in the county. Call (352) 619-3597 or send the form. Brandi texts you a scheduling window within the hour.
Terrain, Soil and Vegetation Across Lee County
Lee is flat to within a few feet from I-75 to the Gulf. North of the Caloosahatchee, Alva and North Fort Myers sit on mesic flatwoods and sugar sand that drains. South along SR 82 it is hydric flatwoods on Immokalee and Myakka spodosols, flatwoods soil with a hardpan that holds water June to October. Caprock sits 20 to 40 inches down and eats mulcher teeth. Near the Caloosahatchee and along the Orange River the vegetation turns to cabbage palm hammock and pepper walls. Woodland that looks dry in April can overgrow a swale and swim by August. I read site conditions before I drive out.
Vegetation Removal Permits and Protected Species in Lee County
Unincorporated Lee, including Lehigh, requires a Lee County Vegetation Removal permit before removing vegetation on any lot. Cape Coral issues its own per-lot vegetation permit and has a Florida scrub-jay zone where FWS consultation comes first. Three rules apply to every parcel. Gopher tortoise: survey within 90 days, no work within 25 feet of a burrow, FWC relocation permit if burrows turn up. Bald eagle: 660-foot nest buffer, and Lee has dense nests. Wetlands: SFWMD handles the Environmental Resource Permit. Clearing is not an ERP trigger. Filling a wet spot or changing drainage is. On our jobs in Lee the permit takes longer than the clearing.
Storm Debris Cleanup After Ian
Ian hit Lee in September 2022 and the standing dead pines are still coming down. FEMA cleared the public right-of-way, not your lot. Private debris is the owner's, priced by the load: $700 to 1,300 per 10-yard load. A typical Cape Coral lot after Ian ran 4 to 9 loads of trees and branches. Count your dead pines before June and I will count your loads.
Areas We Serve in Lee County
Our service area runs from the Punta Gorda yard down I-75. Our crews work throughout Lee County: Cape Coral, Lehigh Acres, Fort Myers, North Fort Myers, Alva, Bonita Springs, Estero, and Fort Myers, FL and the surrounding areas toward the Charlotte and Collier lines. Cape Coral, Lehigh and Fort Myers have their own pages. The Southwest Florida page lists all seven counties in Florida we serve.
City pages in Lee County
Other counties in Southwest Florida
Ready to Clear Your Lot?
Serving Lee County from Punta Gorda, the trailer is close and the estimate is free. Send the form with your parcel ID and a photo from the road. Brandi texts you a scheduling window within the hour, I walk the property and flag any burrows, and you get a price in writing. Insured crews. Call (352) 619-3597 or get an estimate through the form.
Land Clearing Questions Property Owners Ask Here
How much does land clearing cost per acre in Lee County?
$1,500 to 2,500 an acre for palmetto and pine flatwoods mulched in place, $3,000 to 5,500 to bare dirt with stumps. Expert land clearing on a half-acre Cape Coral lot is a flat day, $2,600, and melaleuca or pepper adds $500 an acre.
Do I need a permit to burn cleared brush in Cape Coral?
You will not get one on a platted lot. Cape Coral and the platted parts of Lee are no-burn, and any pile anywhere needs a Florida Forest Service burn authorization issued that day. Mulching wins there: the trees and brush stay as mulch and the wood never leaves.
How long do land clearing projects take?
One day for a half-acre lot, two days for 2.5 acres of flatwoods, four to five days for 10 acres with stumps. Land clearing projects here wait longer on the Vegetation Removal permit than on our crews.
Can you clear heavily wooded parcels and commercial land?
Yes. The 300-hp mulcher takes pine and oak to about 12 inches, and the dozer with root rake handles tree clearing larger than that. On the ROW we ran that pairing one co-op corridor at a time. Commercial land clearing and site clearing for commercial development or master-planned communities run by the day, $4,000 plus transport.
Who do I call to clear land here?
Call (352) 619-3597 or send the form, and Brandi texts you a scheduling window within the hour. Our crews have the experience and equipment to handle clearing brush and clearing land safely and efficiently on wet flatwoods. Equipment and expertise, plus knowing where the water goes: that is the land clearing service you pay for. Dry-season dates go to residential jobs before anything else.
Get Your Free Estimate
Send the form or call. Brandi texts you a scheduling window within the hour.