Some of the most satisfying jobs we do aren't the flashiest — they're the ones where a homeowner gets their yard back. This property in St. Joseph, MN had a tangled line of scrub trees and brush running along the back of the lot, swallowing usable space and blocking the open, buildable yard the owners wanted. Here's how we took it from overgrown tree line to finished, leveled grade — trees out, stumps ground, roots pulled, and the ground graded smooth.

The Project at a Glance

  • The problem: an overgrown tree & brush line eating up the backyard in St. Joseph
  • The work: tree & brush removal, stump grinding, root removal & land leveling
  • The cleanup: every bit of debris hauled away — nothing left behind
  • The finish: stumps ground out, roots pulled with our heavy equipment, ground leveled and graded — ready for seed
  • The extra step: quality screened black dirt hauled in and spread to fill every divot — smooth, seamless, beyond expectations

Before: an overgrown mess

Before: overgrown tree and brush line crowding a Central Minnesota backyard
Before — a dense line of scrub trees and brush crowding the yard.

You can see the problem right away: a thick wall of small trees, saplings, and brush that had been creeping outward for years. It shaded the lawn, dropped constant debris, and made the back of the yard hard to use. The goal was simple — open it all up and get back to clean, mowable grass.

During: clearing and hauling

During: tree line being thinned and understory cleared with a skid loader in Central MN
During — thinning the tree line and clearing the understory.

Working with our own skid loader and equipment, we took the tree line down piece by piece, pulled the brush and undergrowth, and loaded everything into the dump trailer as we went. Doing the removal and the hauling in one organized pass is what keeps a job like this efficient — no giant debris pile left sitting for weeks, and no mess pushed off onto the property line.

After: wide open again

After: tree line cleared to bare ground, brush hauled and stumps cut flush in Central MN
After — cleared to bare ground, brush hauled away, stumps cut flush.

Here's the payoff on the clearing. The entire tree line is gone, the ground is cleared, and the yard opens right back up — no more shaded, unusable strip along the back of the lot.

Stump grinding, root removal & land leveling

Finished — stumps ground, roots removed and the ground leveled and graded in St. Joseph, MN 56374
Finished — stumps ground out, roots pulled, and the ground leveled to a smooth, seed-ready grade.

Removing the trees is only half the job. We came back with our heavy equipment and ground the stumps down and pulled the roots — not just the flush cuts, but the root balls that would otherwise rot, sink, and leave soft spots in the yard — then leveled and graded the ground into a smooth, even slope. The result is a clean, buildable, seed-ready lawn instead of a lumpy stump field. Doing the tree removal, stump grinding, and land leveling as one job means a single crew, a single mobilization, and a finished result you can actually use.

Before — massive flush-cut tree stump prior to stump grinding in St. Joseph, MN (boots for scale)
Before — one of the stumps, boots for scale.
After — same spot with the stump ground out and roots removed, ready for grading in St. Joseph, MN
After — same spot: stump ground out, roots gone.

That stump above tells the story — the trees we pulled out of this line weren't saplings. Every stump that size got ground below grade and its roots ripped out, so nothing's left under the surface to rot or sink.

To finish the job right, we hauled in quality screened black dirt and spread it across the entire work area — filling every divot and low spot left behind by the stumps and roots, and blending the new grade seamlessly into the surrounding lawn. It's the difference between "the trees are gone" and a truly finished yard: smooth, even, seed-ready ground with no dips, no soft spots, and no surprises next spring. Going the extra step on the finish is how we make sure the final result doesn't just meet the homeowner's expectations — it exceeds them.

Before and after tree and brush removal in St. Joseph, MN by Revisions Unlimited
The full before & after — overgrown tree line to finished grade.

Project Photos: Start to Finish

The whole job in St. Joseph, MN — from the overgrown tree line to a leveled, seed-ready yard: trees down, brush hauled out with our dump trailer, stumps ground, roots pulled, and the ground graded smooth.

Before — overgrown tree and brush line along a Central Minnesota backyard Before — mature trees crowding the deck and yard in Central MN Before — large trees marked for removal in Central Minnesota Before — cluster of tree trunks in the overgrown line During — clearing understory and brush with a skid loader During — dump trailer loaded with brush and trees for hauling During — brush and downed trees cleared from the tree line During — stump and root ball pulled during clearing Cleared — the tree line opened up to bare ground Cleared — ground ready for stump grinding and seed After — open, mowable backyard with the tree line gone After — aerial view of the cleared yard, brush hauled and stumps cut flush Massive tree stump before grinding — St. Joseph, MN Stump ground out and roots removed — St. Joseph, MN Hauling massive trunk sections across the yard — tree removal in St. Joseph, MN Grapple truck on site loading tree trunks — St. Joseph, MN tree removal Tree trunks staged in the yard for hauling — St. Joseph, MN Pulling roots with the skid loader grapple — root removal in St. Joseph, MN Final grading pass on the cleared ground — land leveling in St. Joseph, MN Our Bobcat skid loader with land leveler attachment — Revisions Unlimited equipment Finished — stumps ground, roots removed and ground leveled in St. Joseph, MN

Thinking about clearing your own tree line?

If you've got an overgrown fence row, tree line, or lot taking over your property in St. Joseph or anywhere in Central Minnesota, this is exactly the kind of work we do — trees and brush removed, stumps ground, roots pulled, and the ground leveled, all with our own heavy equipment. From a single problem stump to acres of overgrowth, it's one call to get it cleared and graded.

We handle tree removal, brush removal, and land clearing across all of Central Minnesota — St. Cloud, Sartell, Sauk Rapids, Waite Park, St. Joseph, Cold Spring, Foley, Albany, and the surrounding towns throughout Stearns, Benton, Sherburne, and Morrison counties. Whether it's a single tree, an overgrown fence line, or an acre of brush and stumps, we clear it and haul it away. Explore our tree removal service, land clearing, and stump removal — or see every town we cover on our service areas page.

Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on the length and density of the line and what happens to the debris, but a typical residential tree line is often a day or two. We bring our own skid loader and dump trailer, so removal and hauling happen in one pass.

Yes — everything gets loaded and hauled off with our dump trailer, or piled for burning where your county allows. We don't leave a debris pile sitting on your property.

Yes — we cut stumps flush during clearing, then come back with heavy equipment to grind the stumps down and pull the root balls out. Removing the roots, not just the flush cut, keeps the ground from sinking or leaving soft spots later, so it's ready to level and seed.

Absolutely — land leveling and grading is one of our core services. Once the stumps and roots are out, we smooth and grade the ground to an even, seed-ready surface, whether you want lawn, garden, or a building pad. Doing removal, stump grinding, and leveling in one job saves you time and money.

Yes — St. Joseph and the surrounding St. Cloud area are right in our service area. We handle tree removal, brush removal, stump grinding, root removal, and land leveling across Central Minnesota, with free on-site estimates.

Related: Tree Removal  •  Stump Removal  •  Land Leveling  •  Land Clearing