You can't clean the woods! The woods survive all on their own. If you are brand new to gardening, you will have more then enough work maintaining the area around your home.
Meanwhile walk the woods, explore for wildflowers and wildlife. The woods have an ecosystem of their own. We can't improve on that. The falling branches, sticks and leaves are natures recycling.
My parents moved to NC in 1982. My Mom tried to clean a half acre of woods. She gave up quickly. A landscaped 1/4 acre more then kept her busy.
