How do I keep cleared land from growing back?

Give the ground a job. Cleared land in Virginia drifts back to brush and then woods because hardwood stumps resprout, seeds blow in from the tree line, and invasive plants move into bare soil. What keeps it open is a thick, permanent cover, grass, pasture or a planted meadow, kept up by regular mowing or grazing, with stump sprouts and invasive plants handled before they get a start. Much of that is easier to plan before the trees come down than after.

Why cleared land comes back

The stumps are the first source. Most hardwood trees vigorously sprout on the stump unless something is done to kill the root system of each tree cut,^[1] while pine stumps, apart from shortleaf pine, do not sprout and rot away in three to five years.^[1] On a hardwood lot, the sprouts are the main thing to plan for.

The second source is seed and invasive plants. The Virginia Department of Forestry names tree-of-heaven, autumn olive, Callery pear, Japanese honeysuckle, Asiatic bittersweet, kudzu, Japanese stiltgrass, multiflora rose and several privets among the common invasive species found in Virginia.^[3] It warns that invasive plants are costly to control, can grow faster than native species, and spread quickly.^[3] Some get worse when cut: cutting or mowing alone is not effective on ailanthus, also called tree-of-heaven, and can increase its spread by promoting suckering.^[2]

Get a permanent cover in fast

A dense, healthy cover usually leaves less room for woody seedlings, so the seeding plan matters as much as the clearing. For pasture, soil tests set the right amount of lime and fertilizer, seeding is usually best in spring or fall, and it can take a year or more to establish a pasture.^[1] A lawn or meadow has its own seed mix and timing; ask the contractor to put the mix and the seeding date in the quote.

If the clearing ran under a land-disturbing permit, stabilization is not optional. Pittsylvania County's erosion rules call for temporary stabilization within seven days on bare areas that will sit dormant for longer than 14 days, and permanent stabilization on areas left dormant for more than one year.^[4] Other counties set their own terms in the permit, so read yours.

Brush piles are a decision too. Leaving them is very cheap but unsightly, and the piles can harbor weeds,^[1] so settle with the contractor what happens to them before the job is finished.

Mowing and grazing

Once the cover is in, management after establishment includes mowing, dragging, and maintaining proper stocking rates.^[1] Mowing alone does not kill established roots, and it is not always the right tool: for blackberries and dewberries, mowing is a waste of time and money and can lead to decreased herbicide efficacy.^[2]

Grazing is the other option. Goats can be used for post-clearing sprout and weed control.^[1] In a West Virginia study of goats grazing a power line right of way, goats cut brush cover from 45 percent to 15 percent in one year and to 2 percent after five years.^[1] Grazing suits owners who want livestock anyway; ask a contractor or your local Extension office whether it fits your site.

Stump sprouts and herbicides

Hardwood sprouts stop only when the roots die, which is why the plan for them belongs in the clearing contract. Appropriately labeled herbicides are the cheapest, easiest and most effective tool for killing the root systems of hardwood trees,^[1] but a cut stump takes up the chemical only for a short time before it loses its uptake capacity,^[1] so the treatment is usually scheduled with the cutting crew rather than added weeks later.

Herbicide work for hire is regulated. Virginia law says no person shall use or supervise the use of any pesticide in exchange for compensation without first obtaining certification as a commercial applicator or registered technician.^[8] Extension's 2026 pasture herbicide guide classes some herbicides as restricted-use,^[2] so ask for the certification and the product label before anything is sprayed. Ask your local Extension office or a certified applicator for a plan that fits the plants you actually have, before anyone mows.

Land near streams

Along water, keeping land open is limited by law in some places. In a Resource Protection Area under the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act, existing vegetation in the 100-foot buffer may be removed, subject to local government approval, only for reasonable sight lines, access paths, general woodlot management and best management practices.^[5] Under that same approval condition, dead, diseased or dying trees or shrubbery and noxious weeds such as Johnson grass, kudzu and multiflora rose may be removed, and thinning of trees may be allowed under locally adopted standards.^[5] Ask your planning office before clearing regrowth near a creek.

When to call a licensed pro

Regrowth that has become saplings, stumps that need grinding or pulling, and invasive thickets that need machines are work for a licensed contractor. Virginia's Board for Contractors defines a landscape service contracting specialty that covers altering a land area by excavation, clearing and grading, including removing stumps and roots below grade.^[6] A Class C licence covers a single job over $1,000 but less than $30,000, or a contractor whose work in any 12-month period totals less than $250,000.^[7] Herbicide work is regulated separately: whoever applies herbicide for pay needs commercial applicator or registered technician certification.^[8] Check the licence on DPOR's lookup, and ask:

• what is growing back, and whether any of it is invasive;
• whether stumps will be ground, removed or treated, and by whom;
• who applies any herbicide, and their applicator certification;
• when the ground will be seeded, and what mix;
• what follow-up visit is included in the first year.

For the clearing itself, read what clearing a wooded lot involves and how much land clearing costs per acre in Virginia. Browse land clearing businesses, find excavation and site work businesses in Blacksburg, or see more excavation answers.

Describe the regrowth and the land and licensed local contractors quote the work.