Land Clearing
Land clearing for overgrown lots, fence lines and acreage across Southeast Louisiana. We take out the underbrush and small trees, then dig the stumps and root balls out with the excavator.
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Stump removal is digging the stump and the root ball out of the ground. J-Rod's Dirt Work does that work around Hammond and across Southeast Louisiana. We dig stumps out. We do not grind them, and we do not cut trees down. The tree has to be down or cut off before we get there. We pull a single yard stump, a fence line row, or a whole lot the same way. Estimates are free. Call or text (985) 500-4145.
Ground around Hammond is flat and holds water, so stumps sit in soft dirt much of the year. Pine, sweetgum, water oak and popcorn tree are what we pull most. Hurricane Ida crossed Tangipahoa Parish in August 2021 and put trees down parish wide. Stumps from that storm still sit in yards and fields. Our Case excavator does the digging and the Kubota SVL75-3 skid steer works behind it. We cover a 50 mile radius of Hammond, out to Baton Rouge, Covington and Slidell.
Tell us about the job and the ground. We will get right back to you.
We come out and look at the stumps before anything gets priced. You show us which ones go and which trees stay, and we check how the machines get in. Before any digging we file a free locate with Louisiana 811. State law gives the utility companies at least 48 hours to mark buried gas, power and phone lines. Weekends and holidays do not count.
Then the excavator goes to work. The bucket cuts the lateral roots around the stump and the machine rocks it loose. Small stumps lift out whole and big ones come out in pieces. We shake the dirt off the roots, so that soil stays on your lot.
The stumps and roots get loaded up and hauled off. Every hole gets backfilled and packed down in layers so the spot holds. Pulling big root balls usually leaves a lot short on dirt. That is when we bring in fill dirt to bring it level. The surface gets smoothed so a mower can run across it.
Grinding and digging are two different jobs. A grinder chews the top of the stump into chips and leaves the root system in the ground. That is fine for a yard where nothing is going in that spot. It falls short when something has to be built there.
Roots left in the dirt rot out over the years, and the ground above them drops. A slab poured over a rotting root ball can crack when the soil settles under it. The same goes for a gravel driveway or a line of fence posts. When a building pad is going in, our site prep work picks up where the stumps leave off.
Regrowth is the other side of it. Popcorn tree, also called Chinese tallow, sprouts back off a cut stump. It sprouts off lateral roots too, up to 16 feet from the trunk. Digging pulls the stump and the root ball together. Tallow can still push shoots up from stray roots, so watch the spot through the first growing season.
Termites are part of it here too. Tangipahoa is one of the parishes named in the state Formosan termite quarantine. LSU AgCenter tells homeowners to get stumps and dead wood out of the yard. It warns against burying wood during site prep, because buried wood feeds termite colonies.
Pine is the stump most people around here want gone. Loblolly pine puts down a taproot 5 to 6.5 feet deep in sandy or loamy dirt. Heavy clay keeps that taproot short and stout instead. On wet ground with a high water table the roots run sideways near the surface. They spread wider than the branches ever did. In a young pine stand measured in southeast Louisiana, most root weight sat in the top 18 inches.
Root spread like that changes the dig. A wide root ball means a wider hole and more backfill to bring the spot level. Wet dirt makes all of it heavier and slower. Tracks spread the weight out, so the machines can work ground that tires would sink in.
We still pick our days. Digging a soaked lot leaves ruts that somebody has to fix later. If a whole lot needs opening up, brush and small trees come off first under land clearing. Then the stumps come out. Once the holes are closed we can keep going and handle grading the yard so water runs off it.
Free, no-obligation estimates across a 50-mile radius of Hammond.
(985) 500-4145From the first call or text to the finished ground, here is how it goes.
Reach us at (985) 500-4145. Tell us the address and what the ground needs. A photo or two helps us size the job.
We drive out and look the property over. We check how the machines get in and where the water goes, then size up what has to move.
You get a price for the work, with the scope spelled out. Take your time with it. The estimate is free either way.
Once you say go, we set a day that fits your build schedule and the weather. Wet ground can push a job, and we tell you when it does.
The crew runs the skid steer or the excavator and works the job through. Debris and extra dirt get hauled off as we go.
We smooth the ground to final grade and clean up behind us. Then we go over the finished job with you before the machines leave.
Common questions about stump removal across a 50-mile radius of Hammond. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
Land clearing for overgrown lots, fence lines and acreage across Southeast Louisiana. We take out the underbrush and small trees, then dig the stumps and root balls out with the excavator.
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We sell fill dirt and haul it to your property. Loads get dumped where you want them, spread out, and packed down so the ground holds.
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We take a lot from raw ground to a pad you can build on. Fill placed and compacted in lifts, rough grade set, and access roughed in for the trucks.
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Land grading shapes your ground so water runs off it instead of standing on it. We handle yard leveling and lot grading within a 50 mile radius of Hammond.
Learn MoreNobody prices your job from behind a desk. We walk the ground, check the access and where the water goes, and price the work from what we see.
Send us the address and tell us what needs doing. We come look at the ground, then give you a price for the job. The estimate costs nothing.
We run out to Baton Rouge, Covington, New Orleans, and up into southern Mississippi. If your property sits inside 50 miles of Hammond, we can get a machine there.
We work house lots and job sites for builders and businesses. A backyard that holds water and a commercial pad both get the same machine time and the same attention.
What stump removal costs in Louisiana in 2026: published ranges per stump and per inch, how grinding compares, and the 811 rule before anyone digs.
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What land clearing costs per acre in Louisiana in 2026: published ranges by how thick the growth is, hourly and minimum charges, and the burn and permit rules around Hammond.
Read more →Call or text (985) 500-4145, or send the form and we will get back to you. Tell us the address and what the ground needs, and we will set up a free estimate.
Tell us about the job and the ground. We will get right back to you.