Land clearing on Jekyll Island: small-scale, canopy-first, and only with the Authority's blessing

On Jekyll, "land clearing" means cleaning up a yard inside a protected forest, not opening a lot to bare ground. We want to be honest about that up front.

Jekyll Island is a state park of Georgia. Homes on Beachview Drive, Riverview Drive and the adjoining streets are on lots which are leased from the Jekyll Island Authority. The law protects most of the island from development. And, the surrounding maritime forest of live oaks, pine trees and palmetto is preserved around each home. A Jekyll lot isn't cleared like a lot on Brunswick, or even on St. Simons, is cleared. Jekyll really needs (and what Golden Isles Fencing & Excavation does on Jekyll is) a more precise and less extensive solution. Removal of understory which has engulfed a yard. Removal of dead or hazardous trees with permission from the Authority. Post-storm clean-up. All without removing the canopy and dunes.

We're a local family owned, Christian-based company, here in Brunswick. If the thing you need on Jekyll isn't approved there, then we'll tell you at the first visit. We'll not take it, and then disappoint you.

What we can do on a leased lot

• Understory cleanup. Saw palmetto, yaupon, vines, volunteer saplings invading house so that it is impossible to use yard, and can no longer be seen from the street, trimmed back, removed.
• Dead and hazardous trees. Beetle and storm killed pines, trees leaning on roof, limbs in driveway, removed in sections (with OK from Authority).
• Storm debris. Storm limbs and mess, broken palms, tropical system in yard mess, cleaned up, removed from the island.
• Small site prep. Creating space for shed, patio, fence line etc., root and stump removal, manual near keeper trees.

What goes through the Jekyll Island Authority

The guidelines put out by the Authority hold. We don't assume for you. Generally we've found that simple yard work without trees being taken down and without disturbing the ground is considered routine maintenance, while pulling any tree down or disturbing soil or near lease area boundaries gets looked at. Dead and hazardous trees are typically an easy-in to get approved, especially following a storm. We'll document tree and provide assistance with the request. Pulling a healthy tree down because it's in the way of something is another story which typically doesn't end in approval. We're not going to pull a tree down on Jekyll without the approval for it.

Working inside the canopy

The live oak roots on the island run shallow and wide. The Authority is very particular about them getting hurt. For one we do understory work, light equipment and hand tools. No digger. We mulch in and around the live oaks, not grub. No machine tracks into the root zones. If you need a stump out near the live oak, we dig it by hand. We leave the ground around the house as forest floor. This is what the Authority prefers. This is what looks better on the lot anyway.

Dunes and the lot line

The ocean side dunes on Jekyll are all protected under the shore protection regulations of the state of Georgia. These are all forbidden. Beachside lots along Beachview Drive we are very careful about where the lease ends and no yard cleanup is done there. Lots that back up to undeveloped forest, we just do the lease and don't touch the state's ground.

Storm cleanup for owners who are away

A lot of Jekyll houses are second homes, and after a tropical system the owner could be hundreds of miles away staring at a neighbor's photo of a pine on the carport. From there we work from photos and focus on the jobs with a tree on the structure or a driveway blocked. Clean it up, get it off the island and get photos of the clear lot back. We still have to go through the Authority to remove downed trees. But they're quick about those after the storm.

Debris and the causeway

We pay for a Jekyll entry fee with every crossing of the Downing Musgrove Causeway. It's trips to move brush. We chip and mulch as much as we can here on the lot. Then put it under the trees where the floor of the forest wants it to go. Only move what we can't keep. Not allowed to burn it out here on a Jekyll residential lot.

How a Jekyll cleanup runs

1. Photos and a visit. We look at additions, dead or dangerous and lease line.
2. Approval check. We always double check with the Authority before doing anything other than basic cleanup.
3. Light-touch clearing. We use hand tools and small equipment in canopy. Sections for any approved tree.
4. Mulch and haul. Most goes as ground cover on the lot if we can. Whatever else is shipped off the island as little as possible.
5. Photos back. For absent owners.

Estimates are free on Jekyll. Just send a photo of your yard and your street. We'll tell you what you can do on the island.

Land clearing on the mainland and St. Simons

For a lot where a real clearing job is possible, read about land clearing in Brunswick, GA, land clearing on St. Simons Island, and everything we do as a fence and excavation company on Jekyll Island.

Related work on Jekyll

A cleaned-up Jekyll yard often leads to our land grading on Jekyll Island, aluminum fencing on Jekyll Island, dirt and debris hauling, and land clearing service overview.

Common questions about land clearing on Jekyll Island

Clearing on Jekyll means something different from clearing on the mainland. Here is what leaseholders ask.