Shives Tree & Skid Steer Service

Shives Tree & Skid Steer Service is a land clearing company in Gastonia, North Carolina, offering land clearing and site prep, forestry mulching, and stump grinding. The outfit serves landowners across the Gastonia area — ranch and recreational tracts, homesites, and commercial parcels — with mulch-in-place work that leaves ground ready to use.

Shives Tree & Skid Steer Service holds a 5.0 rating across 12 Google reviews — consistently among the higher-rated operators in the Gastonia area, with a smaller review pool, so it's worth pairing the rating with a phone consultation before booking.

When hiring a land clearing contractor in Gastonia, the things that actually drive a good outcome are the machine matched to the job (a high-flow skid steer handles brush and small trees; heavy timber wants a dedicated tracked carrier), how the operator handles slopes, rock, and wet ground, and what "finished" means in the bid — mulch size, whether stumps are cut flush or ground out, and whether material is mulched in place or hauled off. Ask for proof of insurance, photos of recent work on similar terrain, and how change orders are priced when hidden obstacles turn up.

Land Clearing in Gastonia typically runs $1,500–$5,000, depending on tree size and whether stumps and roots are grubbed out. Forestry Mulching in Gastonia typically runs $500–$1,500, depending on brush density and terrain. Stump Grinding in Gastonia typically runs $100–$400, depending on stump diameter and count.

Quotes can be requested through the outfit's website. Most mulching jobs finish in one to three machine-days depending on acreage and density; larger clearing scopes usually start with an on-site walkthrough so the operator can flag access, slopes, and utilities before committing to a number. For corridor or multi-tract work, plan on a per-acre or per-mile estimate after the walk.