Lots, field edges and bayous
Inside Clarksdale the common job is a vacant lot or back yard gone to privet, vines and volunteer trees. The forestry mulcher grinds that down in place, so there is no brush pile left on a city lot. Out in Coahoma County, it is tree lines that have spread into fields, ditch banks that need opening for maintenance, and old homesites lost in the brush.
Along the Sunflower River and the bayous, the woods are Delta bottomland hardwoods: oaks, green ash, sweetgum, with willow and cottonwood on the lowest ground. That growth comes back fast. For thick brush we mulch. For larger timber, pushing and windrowing with the track loader usually makes more sense. Many jobs use both methods on the same tract.
Delta clay and wet ground
Coahoma County is flat, and much of it is heavy clay that drains slowly. The USDA lists Sharkey clay, a common Delta soil, as very slowly permeable, and it cracks deep in dry summers. After heavy rain, this ground gets soft and holds water for days. Running equipment on it then can leave ruts that last for seasons.
Ground near rivers and bayous tends to be siltier and sandier than the clay flats farther from the water, and it often dries out sooner. We look at both the weather and the spot before we schedule. If your cleared land is going to hold a building, check the FEMA flood map and ask the city or county about flood zone rules first.
Permits, burning and 811
Coahoma County has a Planning Department that handles county building permits and E911 addresses, so if you are clearing for a house outside town, start there. Inside Clarksdale, check with the city. Under MDEQ's open burning rule, land-clearing debris cannot be burned within 500 yards of an occupied dwelling unless an air curtain or other forced-draft system is used, and never within 50 yards.
No burning during a Mississippi Forestry Commission High Fire Danger Alert, a county burn ban, or where a local ordinance forbids it. MFC burn permits cover forestry and agricultural burns, and land-clearing burns follow local rules. Before any stump digging or excavation, Mississippi 811 must get at least two working days of notice so underground lines can be marked.
