A useful photo set for a clearing estimate is ordered, not scattered, and it answers questions in sequence: can the machine get here, what is growing, how big is the biggest thing, and what is the ground doing. Start at the road with the approach and the gate, then the first turn and the staging area. Then wide views from each corner of the work area. Then a close view of typical density, and, the single most valuable photograph in the set, the largest stem with a tape or a familiar object beside it, readable. Then the ground surface, and the slope photographed from the side, not from above, because a downhill photograph flattens a slope and makes a serious grade look like a lawn. Finish with the hazards and retained features, and tie every image to a marked aerial so the estimator knows where each one was taken.
The short answer
Send wide views, representative density, the largest stems, terrain, ground conditions, access width, overhead clearance, and a map pin.
| # | Shot | What it answers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Road approach and gate | Can a trailer get here |
| 2 | First turn and staging area | Can it turn and unload |
| 3 | Overhead clearance point | What height limits the route |
| 4–7 | Wide view from each corner | Scale and shape of the work area |
| 8 | Typical density, close | What the machine mostly faces |
| 9 | Largest stem with a tape | Which machine and how many passes |
| 10 | Ground surface, close | Bearing, rock, wetness |
| 11 | Slope from the side | The real grade, not a flattened one |
| 12 | Hazards and retained features | Exclusions and risks |
| 13 | Marked aerial | Where every other photo was taken |
Photos for a land clearing estimate: the field test
Use an ordered photo set: road approach, gate, first turn, staging area, wide view from each corner, typical density, largest stem with scale, ground surface, slope across and down, retained features, hazards, and a marked aerial tying every image together.
The sequence, in order
- Shoot in the order above so the set reads as a walk-through.
- Put something of known size in every density and stem photograph.
- Photograph slope from across the valley if you can.
- Mark the work limit on the aerial before sending it.
- Say what the ground has to support afterwards.
What goes wrong
- Photographing a slope from the top.
- Sending only wide shots with no scale.
- Omitting the access route entirely.