Help With Evaluating Land, Please!

This is truly the only website I know of where I can ask questions like this and expect a sincere reply. So here goes my first post.

I could use help in evaluating 6ish acres of forest to homestead on (garden and small amount of livestock). I'm in Tennessee. What are indicators or red flags of a toxic piece of land?

The lot in question is a shallow valley. There is a creek that runs through the middle. Would a permie be wary of this topography? The flood risk is listed as "minimal."

The forest seems healthy, but what should I look for? I would describe it as fairly densely packed with tall, straight trees, 3+ feet wide. The forest floor has plenty of plant life as well.

The neighboring lot to the north is 150 acres of former timberland, which has been harvested and left alone for about a decade. The rest of the surroundings are all forest, and nothing else raises suspicion in my mind.

The creek, which is dried up at the moment, culminates in a man-made pond. The pond is quite large, and is full of lily pads and small fish.

Would you be concerned about any of the above? What else would you investigate? What do you look for in the soil and what kind of soil depth?

Thank you.

sounds like you'd bet do a soil test at several locations especially where you are considering gardening

Hi Steven,

Welcome to Permies.  

Of course, Much has to do with what you want to do with the property.  I would have the soil tested. I would also want to know if there are only small fish in that pond and why.

Photos help a lot also.
When forests are cut down, creeks dry up. Is your creek seasonal or just dried up?
Will the other forests be cut down?
Is there a south facing place to build on?
What is access like?
Would a driveway be easy to create?
Can you catch rainfall and use it for the whole house, drinking and washing?
As John asks, what are your plans etc.

John C Daley wrote:Photos help a lot also.
When forests are cut down, creeks dry up. Is your creek seasonal or just dried up?
Will the other forests be cut down?
Is there a south facing place to build on?
What is access like?
Would a driveway be easy to create?
Can you catch rainfall and use it for the whole house, drinking and washing?
As John asks, what are your plans etc.

Thank you, John, for the helpful questions. And thanks, guys, for the idea to test the soil in multiple spots. I really appreciate it! I'm attaching a couple photos of topographic maps, as well as a couple panoramic photos of the forest.

These are my plans:
1. Build two modest houses. One will be for my mom to visit.
2. Produce meat for two people: ~75 broilers a year, and a handful of pigs or another animal that would do well here.
3. Grow enough veg for two people.

So, you can see that the only way into the property from the road is along a narrow ridge. This is my biggest concern. Would you avoid making a road here?
As for the creek - we've been in a drought here, but it finally just rained. So I'll have to see what the creek looks like now.
There is a south-facing slope. However, I have no clue how much forest I'd have to clear to have room for a couple cabins and a garden. I'd like to not risk erosion.
There is no history of the surrounding forests being logged. I'll have to meet the neighbors and find out.

There's a lot of information from your friendly federal government online that's a good starting point. First, I'd find out whether any part (or all) of the land is in a flood zone. If so, flood insurance would be required to borrow any money to build (unless you have a survey done and establish that any structure are not in the flood plain). That will also provide you with a rough idea of the chances of flooding. Second, the USDA has soil maps that cover almost the entire country. That's a free way to get a rough idea of the soils you're dealing with.

After that, most land grant universities will do soil tests at a reasonable cost. Also check whether there are restrictions on wells--this varies by state but it's useful to know. Also check the tax situation and what exemptions are available. That's usually done by the county appraisal district, but states vary.  Finally, make sure you don't have any access problems. In some states easements for access isn't guaranteed and even putting a driveway in may require a permit.

- I doubt you will have a flooding problem from the information you have presented.
- you have direct access from the road I assume, because your boundary appears to abut the road reserve.
- It looks like a driveway can be easily built from the road, along the contour to a house site east of the pond.
There are topics on Permies about driveway construction.
Land clearing
- I assume you will build small homes, perhaps attached for improved insulation
- shedding, driveway standing areas can be drawn up on graph paper.
- vege garden and animal zones can be planned.
- large rainfall storage tank location at least 20,000L maybe 2.
From this info start clearing, and dont clear more, that can happen later if you need it.
Build and rock with 40mm stones your drive so building traffic will compress the drive and improve it.
When building is done, tidy the drive.