How Much Does Brush Clearing Cost?

HomeGuide, a national cost guide, puts brush removal at $800 to $3,000 per acre on average. Clearing trees along with the brush can push that to $5,000 per acre. HomeGuide also lists minimum fees of $250 to $600 per visit, which sets the floor for a small patch.

These are market numbers, not our price list. Where your ground lands depends on how thick the brush is and how a machine gets to it. For a price on your own property, we give free estimates on brush clearing from our base in Lebanon.

What does brush clearing cost per acre?

HomeGuide splits its per-acre range into three types of ground. The range covers clearing with tractors, bulldozers, excavators or commercial-sized rotary cutters.

Closer to home, a Portland-area clearing company published a 2026 price guide. It cites local data at $610 to $1,000 per acre for brush removal. Portland sits outside our service area, so read that as a reference point.

Full land clearing is a bigger job. HomeGuide puts it at $1,200 to $8,000 per acre, and that work often includes leveling and grading. Our guide to what full land clearing costs in Oregon covers ground with trees and stumps.

Why are brush removal quotes so far apart?

Many brush removal prices you find online are hauling prices. HomeGuide puts brush pile removal at $150 to $200 per pickup-truck load. One full-size load holds 2 to 4 cubic yards of brush. Hauling labor runs $50 to $80 per hour.

Those numbers price a pile that is already cut. HomeGuide says cleanup and removal costs typically include hauling and disposal. Disposal adds $30 to $100 per ton, though some contractors fold that fee into labor. Contractors also typically charge extra when the dump site sits more than an hour’s drive away.

Clearing standing brush off the ground is a different job. We clear brush with machines, then mulch it in place or pile it on your ground. Hauling is not a service we offer, so compare our estimate with other clearing quotes.

A Portland-area clearing company gives advice that fits any bid: ask what the price includes. Its guide says quotes that cover loading, hauling, dump fees and cleanup run higher than cut-and-leave work.

What moves the price on your ground?

Density comes first. HomeGuide’s averages climb as trees mix into the brush. They run from $800 an acre for light brush to $5,000 for wooded ground. The Portland company adds that thick growth slows a crew down.

Access comes next. Some brush sits on muddy or uneven ground that machines can’t safely reach. HomeGuide says that brush may need clearing and removal by hand, and it lists site conditions as a cost factor.

Slope and water edges cost more too. The Portland company says flat open ground is cheaper than a slope or a creek edge. On a steep bank, our excavator sets up on stable ground and reaches the face with its mulching head. That is clearing brush on steep ground, and slope is one of the things we price.

Roots are the other concern on those edges. An Oregon State University Extension guide on blackberry control says removing roots disturbs the soil considerably. That raises the chance of erosion and sedimentation, especially on slopes or near streams. Root work on a steep face gets planned with you, and so does any scope near a creek.

Is forestry mulching cheaper than cutting and hauling?

It takes the hauling line off the bill. HomeGuide puts forestry mulching at $125 to $300 per hour for clearing brush. A forestry mulcher head grinds brush and small trees into mulch where they stand. The chips stay on your ground.

Both of our machines carry mulching heads. Our skid steer runs a forestry mulcher head, and our excavator carries a forestry mulching head and a brush rake. Where you want piles instead, the rake gathers the brush into piles on your property. Our forestry mulching page covers the mulcher work in more detail.

An OSU Extension guide notes that fine slash from mowing is often best left on site as a mulch. It says that mulch helps retain soil moisture and suppress weed seed.

What about blackberry and poison oak patches?

Thorny brush costs more to haul. HomeGuide says longer loading times raise labor fees when crews handle thorny or oversized brush. Where Himalayan blackberry makes up most of the growth, the job becomes blackberry removal. The Portland company warns that severe cases need multiple visits to kill the roots.

Our guide on what blackberry removal costs lays out published ranges by patch size. On open ground, follow-up brush hogging passes keep regrowth cut back.

Poison oak changes the price too. OSU Extension says Pacific poison oak often grows in fencerows, evergreen forests, woodland savannahs and hill pastures. We price an acre of woods full of poison oak differently from an acre of grass.

Our machines cut and mulch it, and the excavator and brush rake grub out the roots. See poison oak removal for how we handle it.

When is the best time to clear brush in the valley?

West of the Cascades, about half the year’s precipitation falls from December through February. That figure comes from the Western Regional Climate Center. Brush clearing still gets done in winter on ground that holds a machine. We set the date around the weather.

Fire season brings its own limits. On forestland, the Oregon Department of Forestry typically restricts ground-based power equipment through Industrial Fire Precaution Levels. Level III typically holds that work to the hours between 8 p.m. and 1 p.m. At level IV, all operations stop. We plan the job around the posted level.

How do you get a real number for your ground?

Every range on this page is a published market number. Your own ground sets the real price. We come out to look at the brush with you, and the estimate is free.

Tell us roughly how many acres it covers and how a machine gets in. We clear brush across Linn, Benton, Marion, Polk and Lane counties from our base in Lebanon. Call or text (541) 936-4687, or read more about our brush clearing service.