If you're going to do a redo then you might as well let the dirt work guys, who ought to have a dozer and/or a track hoe, clean it up for you at the same time they start doing the pond work. They can make QUICK work of any vegetation around that pond. I watched a track hoe guy yank 100+ year old oaks out of the ground lickety split and a dozer guy push an impenetrable thicket out of the way in about 5 minutes.
