If you’ve got a patch of land that’s overgrown, unusable, or just not living up to its potential, you’re not alone. Did you ever wonder what would it take to reclaim that land and make it something useful, beautiful, and even valuable?
That’s where Veterans Land Rescue LLC comes in. Based in Lovettsville, Va., and led by Marine Corps veteran Dave Andersen, the company specializes in land clearing and forestry mulching that doesn’t just make your land look better—it makes it work again.
“My goal is to give people back the land they already own,” Andersen said. “If you have a place that you literally can’t walk into because there’s so much brambles and vines, we go in and groom it.”
What Is Land Grooming?
Andersen coined the term “land grooming” to distinguish his approach from traditional, aggressive land clearing. Where bulldozers might flatten a site with little thought for the long-term impact, land grooming is more nature-focused, removing harmful overgrowth while keeping and nurturing what’s valuable.
“I’m a land-clearer who loves trees and doesn’t want to take them down,” Andersen explained. “I’ve told customers, ‘I will not cut that tree down. That’s a beautiful, healthy tree, and it’s good for your land.’”
Veterans LLC’s careful process includes
- Removing invasive plants and vines
- Mulching vegetation in place using forestry mulchers
- Preserving native trees and promoting soil health
- Creating usable space without destroying the land’s character
“It’s a very green process,” Andersen said. “You’re leaving everything in place, just ground up and put back onto the ground where it decomposes back into the land.”
Marine Corps Values, Civilian Results
Andersen’s land-care work reflects the values he developed over 21 years in the Marines. He served as an artillery officer, then in public affairs in the Pentagon and New York City, where he rushed to respond to 9/11 before deploying to Iraq.
His business now runs on that same discipline and leadership.
“I do a reconnaissance of the mission. Then I develop an equipment list and create a task force to accomplish it,” he said. “We can change direction in a millisecond. If there’s a problem, we adjust and keep moving forward.”
Andersen’s crew are skilled not only at their jobs, but also at functioning smoothly as a team, which adds to their safety and efficiency.
“It's an incredible team effort where everybody pitches in and there's no limitations to what they can do,” Andersen said.
Step-by-Step: How It Works
Each project starts with a site visit and a custom plan. The Veterans LLC team brings their own equipment and stays on the job until it’s complete—no shortcuts and no upcharges if it takes longer than expected.
The full process includes:
- Assessment: Reviewing terrain, vegetation, and landowner goals
- Clearing: Removing dead trees, vines, and hazards
- Mulching: Processing plant matter on site to enrich soil
- Finishing: Back-dragging surfaces for a smooth, natural finish
- Optional Restoration: Seeding, strawing, and planting native trees
Andersen reminds clients: “I can’t put anything back.” That’s why daily check-ins and client walkthroughs are built into the process.
Many clients also decide to add options like gravel driveways, water flow improvements, or excavation during the same job.
The Value of Reclaiming Land
Restoring unused land doesn’t only improve its appearance. It also boosts its function and value, sometimes dramatically.
Andersen compares it to a home addition: “We once looked into turning our deck into a 16-by-20 family room with a fireplace; the quote came back at about $125,000,” Andersen said. “That got me thinking. If I put $125,000 into this extra room, it doesn’t increase the house’s value that much. But if I do $30,000 of land work on your property, turning your land into a park around a nice home, that can drive up the property value immensely.”
More Than Curb Appeal
Clients often assume land clearing is about making room for buildings. But many discover it’s also about restoring nature.
“Poison ivy and vines are a big thing around here, and we’ll eradicate that,” Andersen said. “Vines will end up choking out really good trees and killing them. So we are truly healing your land, and from there you can add native plants and trees and get the land back to where it’s very healthy. It becomes a healthy habitat for animals, too.”
And the transformation can be grand.
“They’re wowed,” he said. “They say, ‘I didn’t know it would look like this. I didn’t know my property would end up looking so big.’”
A Mission-Driven Life
From leading teams in the Marines to grooming Loudoun’s landscapes, Andersen always has at least one personal one goal: accomplish something meaningful every day.
“You have to complete some task and you’ll feel good about yourself in the evening,” he said. “And being outside, being in nature and not trapped behind a desk, is just such a gift.”
Ready to reclaim the land you already own? Learn more or discuss your own project, visit veteransllc.us.
What Forestry Mulching Does for Your Land
Dave Andersen of Veterans LLC says forestry mulching is a process that grinds vegetation—vines, weeds, shrubs, and even small trees—on site, turning them into nutrient-rich mulch that’s returned to the soil.
Unlike bulldozing, Andersen notes that forestry mulching can protect the landscape by:
- Preventing soil erosion
- Feeding the land instead of stripping it
- Clearing without disturbing healthy trees
- Leaving a clean, natural finish
“It actually sends everything back to Mother Nature,” Andersen says. “You're not just knocking everything over—you’re giving nutrients back to the soil.”
Veterans LLC uses their own top-quality equipment and applies this method with care, ensuring your land is healthier, more usable, and more resilient.
"Beautiful, healthy trees are good for your land," Andersen says.
“My goal is to give people back the land they already own."