Chester County · PA · Estates & Conservation Properties division
Forestry mulching and land clearing in Uwchlan, PA
In Uwchlan, outside riparian buffers and approved timber harvests, woodland disturbance may not exceed 25 percent of any woodland or hedgerow.
Yes. Huntly Land Co. works in Uwchlan, PA. In Uwchlan, outside riparian buffers and approved timber harvests, woodland disturbance may not exceed 25 percent of any woodland or hedgerow, and clear-cutting or grubbing trees is not permitted on prohibitive slopes. Every job starts with a private site walk.
What the Uwchlan code says
Uwchlan covers about 10.4 square miles of land (US Census), roughly 13 miles from our Chadds Ford base. These are the town rules that most often shape a clearing, mulching or grading scope here, quoted from the code itself.
- 1.
25 percent of any woodland
The Chapter 265 Zoning, Article 6 Supplementary Regulations for All Districts reads: “Except for approved timber harvesting as provided above, all woodland disturbance shall be subject to the following total disturbance limitations, regardless of calculation of disturbance allowances for purposes of determining replacement planting requirements: (a) Outside of areas designated as riparian buffer, permitted woodland disturbance on any lot or tract shall not exceed 25% of the total area of any woodland(s) or hedgerow(s).”
Source: Uwchlan Township Code, Chapter 265 Zoning, Article 6 Supplementary Regulations for All Districts
- 2.
No clear-cutting on prohibitive slopes
The Chapter 265 Zoning, Article 6 Supplementary Regulations for All Districts reads: “Clear-cutting or grubbing of trees is not permitted on prohibitive slopes.”
Source: Uwchlan Township Code, Chapter 265 Zoning, Article 6 Supplementary Regulations for All Districts
- 3.
What counts as clear-cutting
The Chapter 265 Zoning, Article 3 Definitions reads: “CLEAR-CUTTING Except for the removal of trees related to development approved by a building permit or other Township approval, the removal of all trees greater than 12 inches diameter at breast height (dbh) on a lot, or any portion thereof greater than 1/2 acre in contiguous area, during a single tree removal operation or within three years of a previous tree removal operation on the same lot.”
Source: Uwchlan Township Code, Chapter 265 Zoning, Article 3 Definitions
- 4.
Selective harvesting with a forester’s plan
The Chapter 265 Zoning, Article 6 Supplementary Regulations for All Districts reads: “Notwithstanding any provision of this section to the contrary, selective harvesting of timber shall be permitted where undertaken in compliance with a timber harvesting plan prepared by a qualified forester or equivalent professional and submitted to the Township prior to commencement of any timber harvesting operation.”
Source: Uwchlan Township Code, Chapter 265 Zoning, Article 6 Supplementary Regulations for All Districts
Offices for a Uwchlan site
| Question | Office |
|---|---|
| Sediment and stormwater / erosion review | Chester County Conservation District (Chapter 102 erosion and sediment control, NPDES) |
| Township or borough office | Uwchlan Township office |
| State erosion and sediment rules | 25 Pa. Code Chapter 102 (DEP) |
Uwchlan questions, answered
Does Uwchlan limit woodland clearing?
Outside riparian buffers and approved timber harvests, woodland disturbance may not exceed 25 percent of any woodland or hedgerow.
Does Uwchlan regulate timber harvesting or tree removal?
Clear-cutting or grubbing trees is not permitted on prohibitive slopes.
Nearby pages
Cost, permits and the ground
Code summaries are general guidance, not legal advice; Huntly confirms the rules that apply to each parcel before work.
What shapes the cost of land clearing in Uwchlan, PA?
Density and stem size, ground and terrain, access and staging, finish standard, resource plan, stewardship and schedule. Haul-off of non-organic debris, stump grinding below grade, permits and licensed applications are quoted as separate visible lines. Every job is priced in writing after a private site walk, and the walk carries no charge inside the service region.
Do I need a permit for land clearing in Uwchlan, PA?
Often. Pennsylvania requires a written erosion and sediment control plan for earth disturbance of 5,000 square feet or more (25 Pa. Code § 102.4), and the Chester County Conservation District reviews plans and NPDES coverage for larger disturbances. The Uwchlan rules on this page come on top of that. Whether a mulching-only scope counts as earth disturbance is a question for the township and the district, and we confirm it for each parcel before work.
Is forestry mulching better than bulldozing?
For most brush and small-tree work, yes. Mulching leaves roots in the ground and a chip layer on the surface, so slopes stay put, stream-adjacent ground stays stable, and there are no burn piles or haul-off loads. A buildable surface, root-ball removal, grading or drainage work may call for a broader clearing or excavation plan.
More about Uwchlan Township, Chester County, PA
Regulatory notes are general guidance; Huntly confirms the rules that apply to each site before work.
Who approves land clearing or earth disturbance in Uwchlan Township, PA?
Start with the Uwchlan Township office for local zoning and permits. Pennsylvania Chapter 102 sets a written erosion and sediment control plan at 5,000 square feet of earth disturbance and an NPDES permit at 1 acre or more, reviewed through the Chester County Conservation District. As general guidance, mulching in place often disturbs little soil. Huntly confirms the rule that applies to each site before work.
Can I burn brush piles in Uwchlan Township, Chester County, PA?
Burning rules in Pennsylvania are set by the municipality, so check with Uwchlan Township before lighting anything. Huntly's mulch-in-place method needs no burn permit because the brush is ground up on the spot by forestry mulching instead of piled and burned. Huntly confirms the rule that applies to each site before work.
What grows wild and takes over land around Uwchlan Township, Chester County, PA?
Typical for Chester County: multiflora rose, autumn olive, bush honeysuckle, Oriental bittersweet and Japanese stiltgrass. These crowd out pasture, fence lines and woodland edges around Uwchlan Township. Huntly clears them with a drum mulcher and quotes any follow-up herbicide by a licensed applicator as a separate visible line.
Is there cost-share money for clearing invasives in Uwchlan Township, PA?
Often, yes. As general guidance, landowners can ask the local USDA service center about NRCS EQIP. Pennsylvania's EQIP list covers brush management (practice 314, mechanical, large shrubs); the per-acre rate is set each year, so ask the district conservationist for the current figure. Eligibility, practice rules and sign-up dates apply, and enrollment comes before work starts. Huntly confirms the rule that applies to each site before work.
Does Huntly serve Uwchlan Township, Chester County, PA, and what does a site walk cost?
Yes, Uwchlan Township is inside Huntly's service region. The site walk is free, and every job is priced in writing after the walk. Mobilization is quoted on the estimate for long hauls. Call (484) 486-7272 or email hello@huntlyland.com.
Who do I call after a storm in Uwchlan Township, Chester County, PA?
Call Huntly's 24/7 storm line at (484) 486-7272 for downed trees across lanes, fields and fence lines. We clear with a grapple and a Cat 285XE. If a tree is on a house, a power line or other structure, call a tree service or the utility first, then us for the cleanup.
Where these facts come from
Sources: Uwchlan Township Code, Chapter 265 Zoning, Article 6 Supplementary Regulations for All Districts · Uwchlan Township Code, Chapter 265 Zoning, Article 3 Definitions · 25 Pa. Code § 102.4, erosion and sediment control requirements
Last checked: October 2026.
Permits and rules
Clearing in Uwchlan can need a sediment and stormwater plan or a local approval. Start here:
Send us the details.
hello@huntlyland.comSend the town, rough acreage and two or three photographs. We reply by email with site-walk times, and a written scope follows the walk.
Office hours Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. On call 24/7 for storm and emergency cleanup. If anyone is in danger, call 911 first.