Site Clearance and Ground Preparation

The type of equipment and machinery required for clearing and then preparing ground for seeding or turfing can vary significantly depending on the size and type of land, whether an amenity turf area, brown field, a garden, golf course, green field, reclaimed land, or sports pitch or ground.

Chainsaws will be used for cutting down trees and hedges, whilst brush-cutters will be used for and long grass and scrub.

Garden work will be mostly hand tools and hand operated machinery (e.g. power barrows, rotovators), whilst brown field and large sites can involve heavy duty machinery including bulldozers, earthmovers, tractors with ploughs, rotavators, power harrows, subsoilers, etc. Drainage may need to be installed, especially in wet areas, with underground services (gas, electricity, drainage, sewerage, media cables) being a particular hazard in brown field sites. Earth movement can be significant on greenfields and golf courses along with the importation of rootzone for sports pitches, or suitable topsoil for amenity turf areas.

Once a site has been cleared then it is a matter of grading the site and then preparing the soil to create a suitable tilth ready for seeding or turfing.