re: Cost to clear land

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Wetlands in different areas are regulated differently. If you want to challenge that, go for it.

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You are thinking about prior converted farmland. It's different than what Naquin is dealing with. I'm not going to spell it all out here, but I put my email address out there for him if he really wants to know what he's dealing with regarding wetlands. I don't build houses, but I do wetlands and the USACE all day every day.

I don't have a dog in this fight, but it sounds like one person is referring to wetlands and clearing trees, while another is referring to a wetlands study or delineation.

If a structure is to be placed on the site, you are asking about the second option. You do not want the Corps of Engineers showing up after you have started the process. I've seen it happen, and it's ugly.

Take the guy's offer of the free help. In the amount of time it took me to type this reply, he could draw the property as a point of interest (POI) on WSS and tell you enough to answer your questions.

sounds like fun! let me know when!




seriously, if you find out the answer to this, please update. Im looking into buying around 8 acres in the very near future and will need to clear it out as well.. FML

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I'm not talking about the Slidell 190. I'm talking about the 190 by Baton Rouge. The property I'm looking at is about 15 minutes west of Baton Rouge. And I can assure you, the mud is brown and not blue. I currently live about 10 minutes away. All brown mud

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I knew exactly where you were talking about. I was just giving an example of putting cows on a piece of property so it didnt have to be mitigated. The area I was talking about in the dirty dell has a different soil type, but is considered a wetland also.

The dirt itself is not blue. It just is on your tires after you mud ride in it. I know mucho about that soil type because everything west of the river is basically the same.

There is a guy, I think his name is John Stob or Staud that did a lot of dozer work for us outside of Plaquemine, White Castle, and up to Port Barre. Couldn't find him on the internet though. He was very fast and cheap

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You are thinking about prior converted farmland

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That entire area was/is farmland

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wetlands and clearing trees, while another is referring to a wetlands study or delineation

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I used both as examples because you cannot go just willy nilly cutting trees on any piece of property you want. My other examples were miles of commercial buildings in Slidell and homesites within 4 miles of where the OP was asking about. Same soil. The most important thing in hardwood forestry is soil

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he could draw the property as a point of interest (POI) on WSS and tell you enough to answer your questions

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That was what I checked first, basically around Rosedale. That area typically has one soil type that is above 95% the makeup of the soil.

Soil maps are some of the most accurate maps I have ever seen. They can get types down to within 50yds most of the time. Almost everywhere is the US has had soil samples taken. That being said, the Corps likes to grab as many "wetland" properties as they can.

Designating an area a wetland is a big point of contention depending on who you talk to. Even different departments of government will not agree sometimes. Like I said earlier, the three standard, accepted makings of a wetland are hydric soils, predominantly hydric plants, and seasonally flooded

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putting cows on a piece of property so it didnt have to be mitigated

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There is nothing in the regs that allows this. If anything, converting land use of a wetland is a regulated activity.

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That entire area was/is farmland

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It depends on when it was cleared, and if it has been farmed continuously, as to what jurisdiction the USACE has over it.

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cutting trees

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Most forestry practices are allowed in wetlands, given they fall within the realm of civiculture.

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Designating an area a wetland is a big point of contention depending on who you talk to.

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Actually, the Corps was given the authority by the EPA to enforce and regulate wetlands, therefore they have no contention among the agencies.

Hammer, you sound like a well-rounded fella. I usually like your posts. That being said, giving someone advice about something like this without knowing exactly what you are talking about would be like someone allowing me to file their taxes for them. I can probably do it, but the repercussions of an error far outweigh the benefits of me doing it for free.

I don't want to sound like a dick, but part of the way I make a living helping people get out of binds with the Corps. Most of the time it's innocent mistakes, others are blatant disregards for the laws. I'd rather someone know the laws and break them intentionally than do so without knowing. At least he'd know what he's in for down the line.

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There is nothing in the regs that allows this. If anything, converting land use of a wetland is a regulated activity

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The laws were written maybe 15 or 20yrs ago to where if you had livestock on a piece of wetland for 6 months, you could develop it after that time period was up. Like I said, I got the info that it changed from my mom, and what she hears and heard can be different from what actually happened with the change.

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Most forestry practices are allowed in wetlands, given they fall within the realm of civiculture.

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In forestry, it is called silviculture, and what you are talking about is called BMPs(best mgmt practices). Around 75% of the LA BMP manual deals with protection and management of water. Working on seasonally flooded or tidally flooded areas is regulated by the USACE if they stick their noses in it, tidally especially. Cutting in the basin was the only time we had to talk to the feds about anything.

The government agencies that I have seen the contention with were NRCS and USACE.


All that being said, I can only go off of my personal experiences, and one of those is a good friend and his family members building 4 houses on a 40 just a few miles away. The other is clearing 1000s of acres of timber in that area a year.

The Corps has the ability to ruin someone's life and bankrupt them. I wouldn't bother checking, but then again I am more stubborn than a mule. Let's just agree that you agree with me so I can shut up

This is where I left my purse

I don't like being distracted when I am eating. Two changes... Can you put your top back on, and can they be finger sandwiches? If entertainment means bringing me more finger sandwiches, count me in

I have no idea why they are so much better than actual sandwiches, but I assume it has something to do with aliens