For the start of our vineyard, we chose an unused section of heavily timbered sidehill. It had previously been logged of merchantable Douglas Fir and White Fir timber, leaving behind numerous tree species such as Cherry, Madrone, Maple, and immature Fir (1996). There were also many patches of Himalaya Blackberry, Poison Oak, Poison Ivy, and multiple brush species.
We found the simplest method was to dig beside the standing tree to weaken its hold on the earth. Once that was accomplished, we reached up with our excavator's 35 ft. boom and pushed the tree over. The next step was to dig what roots were still in the ground out. Then the hole was filled and compacted with the excavator bucket. We removed vegetation in sections so we could plant in blocks after we cleared. The merchantable timber was sold with the remainder being cut into firewood. Limbs, roots, and brush were piled and burned. Rocks and sticks were then picked up and removed.