Montrose, MI · Mon–Fri 8 AM–5 PM · Sat 8 AM–3 PM(810) 955-4752mike.onyxlandclr@gmail.com
Onyx Land Clearing and Excavation logo(810) 955-4752
Aerial view of mulched walking paths around a pond on wooded acreage
Michigan service area

Forestry Mulching & Land Clearing Services in Metamora, MI

Pasture reclamation, riding-trail clearing and homesite prep for horse farms and country properties across Metamora Hunt Country, from Barber Road to the woods around Lake Minnawanna.

Get a Free Estimate in MetamoraView Our Services
Since 2019Founded December 2019, 6+ years of land work in Mid-Michigan
Owner-OperatedYou work directly with Michael Lee
Free EstimatesOn-site estimates in Metamora at no charge
Metamora overview

Metamora, MI Land Clearing & Forestry Mulching Services

Metamora is Michigan horse country. The village grew up as a stagecoach stop (the White Horse Inn has been serving travelers since 1850), and by the 1920s horse breeders and the Metamora Hunt, organized in 1928, had made the surrounding hills one of the state's best-known equestrian areas. Those rolling pastures, hardwood ridges and narrow dirt roads are exactly why our land clearing services in Metamora, MI stay busy: horse property always has brush trying to take back the fence line.

Riding trails narrow as saplings fill in, pasture edges creep inward every season, and woodlots along the south branch of the Flint River grow too thick to walk through. People buying acreage around Metamora want room for a barn, an arena or a new home without losing the wooded character that brought them here. Forestry mulching fits that goal better than anything else: it clears selectively, leaves the soil covered and doesn't leave burn piles next to the paddock.

Metamora is one of the areas Onyx owner Michael Lee works most. In his words, it's a big horse community and he's out there all the time. Since opening in December 2019, Onyx has taken on the kind of work Metamora properties need most: long fence rows, trail systems, barn pads and the drainage work that keeps a paddock usable in spring.

Services

Our Services in Metamora, MI

Onyx brings its full service lineup to Metamora and the surrounding townships, whether it's a single trail through the back forty or a full barn-and-house site. Here's what we do for Metamora horse owners, homeowners and businesses.

Land Clearing in Metamora, MI

Land around Metamora is split between open pasture and hardwood woodlots, and both need regular attention. We clear homesites and barn sites, open overgrown pastures back up, and remove brush and underbrush from wooded acreage while keeping the mature trees that shade a paddock or screen your property from Metamora Road. Every job is scoped around how you use the land: horses, hay, trails or a future build.

  • Residential Land Clearing
  • Lot & Acreage Clearing
  • Brush & Underbrush Clearing
Learn more →

Forestry Mulching in Metamora, MI

Forestry mulching is the natural fit for Metamora's horse properties. The mulcher grinds brush and small trees in place, so bridle paths and pasture edges come back clean with a soft mulch surface instead of ruts and slash piles. It keeps soil in place on hilly ground and lets us thin a woodlot without clear-cutting it.

Learn more →

Excavating Contractors in Metamora, MI

After the clearing comes the dirt work. Onyx excavates pads for barns, run-in sheds, arenas and new homes around Metamora, digs basements and foundations, and trenches water and electric lines out to barns and outbuildings. We also dig drainage trenches for paddocks and gateways that turn to mud every spring. MISS DIG 811 gets called before every dig.

  • Residential Excavation
  • Trenching
  • Foundation & Basement Excavation
Learn more →

Retaining Walls in Metamora, MI

Metamora's rolling hills mean plenty of homes and barns sit on slopes. A properly built retaining wall levels out a yard, holds back the hillside beside a walkout, or creates a flat spot for a patio or parking area. We install new walls and repair or replace failing ones, with the drainage behind the wall done right so frost doesn't heave it out of line.

  • Retaining Wall Installation
  • Retaining Wall Repair & Replacement
Learn more →

Snow Plowing in Metamora, MI

In winter, Onyx runs a limited plowing route. Around Metamora, that usually means long farm lanes, barn access drives and commercial lots for existing customers. Plowing is offered case by case; call to see if your property fits the route.

Learn more →
Local knowledge

Local Expertise in Metamora: We Know This Area

The land around Metamora rolls. Wooded ridges drop into open fields and wetland pockets, the same mix you'll see walking the trails at the 723-acre Metamora-Hadley Recreation Area around Lake Minnawanna, just to the west in Hadley Township, and the south branch of the Flint River winds past pastures and old farms through Hunt Country. That combination of slopes, wet low spots and water means clearing here has to be planned for erosion, not just speed.

We know the roads that matter out here: M-24 running north to Lapeer, the two-lane stretch south toward the Oakland County line, and the narrow dirt roads that define Hunt Country, Barber Road, Metamora Road, Havens Road, Sutton Road and Ray Road among them. Getting a trailer down a soft dirt lane in April is a different job than in October, and we plan access and timing accordingly.

Most Metamora jobs are equestrian or country-estate work: reopening riding trails and bridle paths, pushing brush back off pasture fence lines, clearing space for a new barn or indoor arena, and trenching utilities to outbuildings. Closer to the village and the Metamora Crossroads Historic District at Oak and High streets, lots are smaller and the work is more precise: backyard brush removal, wall repairs and drainage fixes.

Metamora is in Lapeer County, so soil erosion permits run through the Lapeer County Health Department, generally required for earth changes of one acre or more, or within 500 feet of a lake or stream. Hardwood woodlots here often include oaks, so we avoid wounding them from April 15 to July 15, the Michigan DNR's high-risk oak wilt window. And because so many Metamora properties sit on dirt roads, spring weight restrictions and soft ground are part of how we schedule heavy equipment.

Why Onyx

Why Metamora Homeowners and Contractors Choose Onyx Land Clearing

You Talk to the Owner, and He Runs the Machine

Onyx is Michael Lee's company, not a call center. When you call about a Metamora job, you talk to Michael, he walks the property for the estimate, and he's the one running the equipment. The person who promised to save that line of maples is the same person on the mulcher. Nothing gets lost between a salesperson and a crew you've never met.

We Understand Horse Property

Clean pasture edges, good footing on trails, material mulched down to ground level and no burn piles near the barn: we know what matters on an equestrian property, because Metamora is one of the places we work most.

Built for Metamora's Hills and Dirt Roads

Rolling ground, wet low spots and narrow dirt roads are normal here. We plan access, timing and erosion control around them so the job doesn't rut your pasture or stall halfway through.

Free, Straightforward Estimates

Every Metamora estimate is free and done on-site. You get a clear scope, covering what's getting cleared, what's staying and what happens to the material, and a written price you can review on your own time. Financing is available through our third-party payment partner for homeowners who want it.

Residential, Farm and Commercial

From a single backyard near the village to multi-day clearing on large acreage, Onyx takes residential, farm and commercial work of all sizes around Metamora.

Service area

Serving Metamora and Surrounding Areas

Onyx provides land clearing services in Metamora, MI and throughout the horse country that stretches from Lapeer County south into northern Oakland County. If your property is anywhere in Hunt Country or the surrounding townships, we can get to it.

  • Metamora Township
  • Hadley and Hadley Township
  • Lapeer, MI
  • Elba Township
  • Lake Orion, MI
  • Oxford
  • Leonard and Addison Township
  • Ortonville
Straight answers

Frequently Asked Questions: Metamora, MI

Yes, it's some of our favorite work. We use forestry mulching to widen and clean up overgrown trails, leaving a mulch surface instead of ruts or piles of cut brush. We can match trail widths to how you ride, work around trees you want to keep and mulch down to ground level so the footing is clean. Many Metamora owners schedule trail work for late summer or fall, when the ground is firm.

For most horse and country properties around Metamora, yes. Clear cutting removes everything and usually leaves stumps, slash and bare soil that erodes on hilly ground. Forestry mulching lets us clear selectively, taking out brush and small trees while leaving the hardwoods you want, and the mulch layer protects the soil. If a building site needs stumps fully removed, we combine mulching with excavation for just that area.

Price depends on how dense the brush is, how long the fence rows have been growing in, how wet the ground is and how much fencing we need to work around. A pasture edge that's been neglected for a few seasons is a very different job than one that's been growing for twenty years. Every Metamora estimate is free and on-site, so you get a real price for your property instead of a guess.

It depends on size and location. Michigan generally requires a soil erosion permit for earth changes of one acre or more, or within 500 feet of a lake or stream, and clearing to prepare for building is not exempt. Metamora is in Lapeer County, so those permits go through the Lapeer County Health Department, and Metamora Township may have its own requirements for new buildings. We'll flag what your project likely needs during the estimate.

Yes. We clear private land throughout Hadley and Metamora townships, including properties near the state recreation area and Lake Minnawanna. Ground in that area mixes wooded ridges with wetlands, so we check for wet low spots and for water within 500 feet during the estimate; both can change how a job is permitted and planned. We work on private property only, never inside the recreation area.

Yes. Onyx can clear the site, strip and level the pad, and trench water and electric out to the barn in one job. We work to the specs your barn builder or arena contractor provides, and we plan drainage so the pad and surrounding paddocks don't hold water in spring. MISS DIG 811 is called before any digging.

Late summer through winter is usually best. The Michigan DNR advises against cutting or wounding oaks from April 15 to July 15 to prevent oak wilt, and many Metamora woodlots have oaks. Spring also brings soft ground and seasonal weight limits on dirt roads, which can make moving equipment harder. We'll recommend a window based on your trees, your ground and your access.

Free estimates

Ready to Get Started in Metamora?

Whether it's a trail system off Barber Road, a pasture line near the South Branch of the Flint River or a barn site in the hills around Lake Minnawanna, Onyx is ready to get your Metamora land back in shape. Estimates are always free, and you'll work directly with the owner from start to finish. Hours: Mon–Fri 8 AM–5 PM · Sat 8 AM–3 PM.

(810) 955-4752 · mike.onyxlandclr@gmail.com · Mon–Fri 8 AM–5 PM · Sat 8 AM–3 PM · Montrose, MI

Get a Free Estimate in MetamoraCall (810) 955-4752
Call NowFree Estimate