If you bought or inherited a few acres in Rutherford County and the back field has gone dark green with young cedar, you are not alone. Left alone, a fence line of cedar seedlings turns into a solid thicket in a handful of years. The good news is that cedar is a very common job for us around Murfreesboro, Smyrna, Lascassas and Eagleville, and the pricing is easy to predict once you know how thick the stems are. Here is how it works.
Why Cedar Takes Over Idle Fields
Cedar moves into pasture and old farm ground that stops getting mowed or grazed. A few trees at the edge of a field become dozens, then a wall you cannot walk through. By the time most people call, the growth has gone from knee-high to well over head-high, and the tool that would have worked earlier no longer does.
Which Tool Fits Cedar
A brush hog is fine for light growth like weeds, briars and saplings under 2 inches. Once cedar stems get to about 4 inches, a brush hog is not the right tool, and we will not offer it for that job. A mulcher grinds the trees where they stand, so there is nothing to haul or burn.
- Disc mulcher (fast clear): the quickest option on heavy growth. The mulch comes out chunkier and stumps are left an inch or two proud of the ground.
- Drum mulcher (clean finish): slower, with a finer mulch and stumps taken flush with the ground. This is the pick if you plan to mow the area or build on it.
What Cedar Clearing Costs in Rutherford County
Our pricing is per acre and depends on how dense the growth is and what finish you want. Cedar with stems up to 4 inches falls in our Medium tier, which covers most Rutherford County jobs. Here is the published rate table for the tiers cedar usually lands in:
- Medium (brush, privet, cedar, stems up to 4 inches): $1,500 per acre fast clear, $1,800 per acre clean finish.
- Heavy (dense thicket, stems to 8 inches, cedar glades untouched for 15 or more years): $2,100 per acre fast clear, $2,500 per acre clean finish.
The minimum job is $1,500 for mulching. Tight access, steep or rocky ground, and jobs under an acre add 10 to 25 percent. Trees over 8 inches are a free walk-through, usually a mix of mulching and tree work, priced on site. You can get a range in about a minute with the instant estimate tool. Online estimates are ranges, not offers, and the final price follows a free walk-through.
How Long It Takes
We typically clear roughly one to three acres a day, depending on how thick the growth is. A cedar thicket that has not been touched in twenty years is closer to an acre a day, so a five-acre field can easily be a multi-day job. Weather and wet ground can move the schedule, so ask for a window rather than a promise on one date.
A Word on Cedar Glades
Parts of Rutherford County sit on limestone cedar glades, thin soil with flat rock showing through. Tennessee protects several glade areas here as state natural areas, and glades hold rare plants. If your land has that kind of ground, or sits next to one of those areas, say so when you request the estimate and check with the state before any clearing starts. It is much easier to sort out before the machine shows up than after.
Stumps, Roots and What Comes Next
Mulching grinds the trees and leaves the roots in the ground. If you need stumps pulled for a foundation or a septic field, that is excavation work, and we will tell you so up front. If you are planning a driveway, rough grading or a building pad after the clearing, those are priced on site during the walk-through. Once the field is open, you can seed it, fence it, or leave the mulch layer to settle.
FAQ
Q: Do you clear cedar anywhere in Rutherford County?
A: Yes. We work only in Rutherford County, including Murfreesboro, Smyrna, La Vergne, Lascassas, Christiana, Rockvale and Eagleville.
Q: Can a brush hog handle cedar?
A: Only on light growth. Once stems reach about 4 inches, a mulcher is the right tool.
Q: Do you remove the stumps?
A: The mulcher grinds the trees and leaves the roots. The drum mulcher takes stumps flush with the ground, while the disc mulcher leaves them an inch or two proud. Pulling stumps for a foundation or septic field is excavation, priced separately.
Q: Are you insured?
A: Yes. Rutherford Land Clearing LLC is insured.
Q: Is the online estimate the final price?
A: No. It is a range. The final price follows a free walk-through.
Get Your Number
If cedar has taken over your land, start with the instant estimate on rutherfordlandclearing.com. It takes about a minute, and we follow up with a free walk-through anywhere in Rutherford County.