Matthews is one of the more established communities in the Charlotte metro, and that shows in its properties. Unlike newer subdivisions where lots were cleared to bare dirt before construction, many Matthews homes sit on land that's been partially wooded for decades. Mature trees, thick undergrowth, and years of unchecked growth are standard on a lot of the properties we work on there.
A&S Brushworks handles residential clearing in Matthews regularly. The work is different from clearing a raw lot — it's more selective, more careful, and focused on reclaiming space without destroying the character that makes these properties appealing in the first place.
The Challenge with Older Neighborhoods
Older Matthews neighborhoods were often carved out of piedmont forest, and many homeowners have let nature take portions of their lot back over the years. We see properties where the first 50 feet from the house is maintained lawn, and everything beyond that is a wall of privet, honeysuckle, kudzu, and volunteer trees.
The challenge is that mixed in with the overgrowth are mature oaks, hickories, and other desirable trees that the homeowner wants to keep. You can't just run a machine through indiscriminately. This kind of work requires an operator who can read the landscape and make decisions tree by tree about what stays and what goes.
That's the work we do best. Forestry mulching is inherently selective — we can mulch a 6-inch sweetgum growing 4 feet from a 20-inch oak without touching the oak. The precision of our setup makes it possible to clear the junk and keep the specimens.
Common Matthews Residential Jobs
Backyard reclamation is our most common Matthews job type. A homeowner has a half acre behind their house that's been taken over, and they want it opened up — maybe for a garden, a play area, or just to be able to walk their own property without a machete.
Property line clearing is another frequent request. When you share a wooded boundary with a neighbor and neither side has maintained it for years, it becomes a no-man's land of fallen trees, vines, and brush. We clear it back to the actual property line and give both sides a defined edge.
We also handle understory clearing — removing the small trees, brush, and scrub beneath a mature canopy. This is popular with homeowners who want a park-like feel to their wooded areas. You keep the big trees and their shade, but clear out everything underneath so you can actually see through the woods and walk through them comfortably.
Working Around Mature Trees
Our Kubota SVL 97-3 with the FAE forestry mulching head is built for selective clearing. The machine runs on tracks, which distribute weight across a larger surface area than wheels, reducing soil compaction around root zones. The mulching head can engage and disengage quickly, allowing us to work right up to the drip line of a preserved tree and then back off.
We take care to avoid damaging bark, surface roots, and low-hanging branches on trees marked for preservation. If a homeowner wants to flag specific trees before we start, we encourage that. A roll of survey tape and 10 minutes of walking the property together before we fire up the machine saves a lot of stress for everyone.
The FAE head handles material up to 8 inches in diameter. Anything larger is either a tree you'd want to keep anyway or something that needs a chainsaw crew — which is a different service.
Pricing and What to Expect
Matthews residential clearing typically runs $1,500 to $5,000 per acre. Selective clearing — where we're working around preserved trees and navigating obstacles — tends to land in the $2,500 to $4,500 range because it's slower work. Straightforward brush clearing on an open lot comes in lower.
Most Matthews jobs we do are under an acre. A typical backyard reclamation on a quarter to half acre runs $1,500 to $2,500. Understory clearing is often toward the lower end because the material is smaller and the machine moves faster.
We don't charge by the hour. Every quote is based on the specific property after we've seen photos or walked the site. This protects both sides — you know the cost upfront, and we don't have to rush through the job to hit a time estimate.
Getting Started
If you're sitting on an overgrown Matthews property and you're not sure where to start, the easiest first step is to send us a few photos. Aerial shots from Google Maps plus a couple of ground-level pictures give us enough to put together a ballpark estimate. From there, we can schedule a site visit for a firm quote.
Call us at (336) 467-4572 or use the quote form on our website. We serve Matthews from our Rock Hill base, usually with a drive time of about 35 to 40 minutes, and we're in the area frequently enough that scheduling is rarely an issue.
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