How much does it cost to clear one acre in Oregon?

Published national cost guides put land clearing at roughly $1,200 to $8,000 per acre. One guide's Portland, Oregon page lists $610 to $5,000 per acre, with an average project near $2,887. Where you land inside that range depends mostly on how thick the growth is.

Is land clearing priced by the acre or by the hour?

Both are common. Guides list hourly land clearing at $110 to $250 per hour nationally, and $130 to $250 in Portland. Open acreage is often quoted per acre. Small, odd-shaped or hard-access jobs are often quoted by the hour.

Why does a small job cost almost as much as a bigger one?

Move-in cost. An Oregon State University Extension publication notes that hauling equipment to a site can be a real expense. Spreading that cost over more acres brings the per-acre price down. If you have two areas to clear, doing them in one visit usually costs less.

Do stumps cost extra?

National guides price stump grinding or removal on its own, at about $100 to $400 per stump. On our jobs, stumps come out with the excavator as part of the clearing work. How many stumps a lot has, and how big they are, shows up in the quote.

When is the best time of year to clear land in the Willamette Valley?

Dry ground moves faster, so late spring through early fall is usually the easiest window. Fire season can limit power-equipment hours in the woods at higher precaution levels. Winter work is still possible, though soft valley ground calls for more care. We plan timing around the site and the conditions.

Is this what Willamette Valley Land Clearing charges?

No, these are market numbers rather than our price list. Every figure on this page comes from published national cost guides and an Oregon State University Extension publication. Our price depends on acreage, growth density, access and the finish you want. Estimates are free, so call or text (541) 936-4687.

How Much Does Land Clearing Cost in Oregon?

Q: Does forestry mulching cost less than clearing and hauling?

It often does on brush and small trees. Cost guides put mulching at $125 to $300 per hour, or $1,000 to $2,500 per acre. One machine cuts and cleans up in the same pass, and the chips stay on the ground. Large timber and big root balls still call for other methods.

Published cost guides put land clearing at about $1,200 to $8,000 per acre. The nearest Oregon figure comes from a national guide’s Portland page. It lists $610 to $5,000 per acre, with an average project near $2,887. Contractors who charge by the hour usually run $110 to $250 per hour.

Those ranges are wide because one acre can mean very different work. Light grass and scattered brush clear fast. An acre packed with old blackberry and small fir takes many more machine hours. Below are the published numbers and the things that move a quote. For your own ground, we give free estimates on land clearing around Lebanon and across the mid-Willamette Valley.

What Does Land Clearing Cost Per Acre?

These are the 2026 figures published by national home-services cost guides. Every number below is a market range, not our price list.

Type of work	Published range per acre	What it usually covers
Lightly forested land	$733 to $2,333	Grass, weeds, scattered brush, a few small trees
Brush removal	$800 to $3,000	Thick brush and undergrowth off open ground
Forestry mulching	$1,000 to $2,500	Brush and small trees ground into chips in place
Land clearing, all densities	$1,200 to $8,000	The full national spread, light to heavy
Heavily forested land	$3,395 to $6,155	Dense woods, mature trees and stumps

Time-based rates sit in a narrower band.

How the work is priced	Published range
Land clearing contractor, national	$110 to $250 per hour
Land clearing, Portland, Oregon	$130 to $250 per hour
Forestry mulching	$125 to $300 per hour
Skid steer or mini excavator with an operator	$100 to $300 per hour
Forestry mulcher and operator, full day	$1,000 to $2,500 per day

Portland sits outside our service area. It is simply the closest Oregon city with published local figures. Treat the per-acre columns as a starting point. Most quotes get built from hours on site, then checked against a per-acre number.

Why Do the Published Ranges Disagree So Much?

The guides price different jobs under one label. An Oregon State University Extension publication covers mechanical fuels reduction. It puts mowing and mastication at $40 to $600 per acre or more. That sits far under the national clearing numbers.

The gap is a difference in work, not a discount. Fuels mowing knocks growth down and leaves it lying. Full clearing takes brush, small trees and root balls off the ground.

What a price includes moves it just as much. Some guides fold in stump removal and a final cleanup pass. Others price only the cutting. Always read what a quote covers before you set it beside another one.

What Drives the Price on Your Property?

Density is the biggest lever. Machine hours climb with stem thickness and how tightly the growth is packed. An acre of tall grass and light brush may take an hour or two. The same acre under years of blackberry can take a full day.

Here is what tends to add hours on a mid-valley property:

Blackberry that has grown unchecked for several seasons
Stems and small trees thicker than a few inches
Slope, ditches and soft or boggy spots
Rock, old fence wire and buried debris
Trees, fences or structures the machine has to work around
A gate or driveway too narrow for a trailer and machine

Debris handling is the other big swing in a quote. Grinding material where it stands with forestry mulching skips the piling and hauling that other methods need. Piling, burning or trucking material off site all add labor and time.

Move-in cost surprises people on small parcels. The same OSU Extension publication points out that getting equipment to a site can cost real money on its own. Spreading that over more acres pulls the per-acre price down. Clearing two areas in one visit usually beats clearing them on two separate trips.

Is Forestry Mulching Cheaper Than Clearing and Hauling?

Often, on the right ground. Guides list mulching at $125 to $300 per hour, or $1,000 to $2,500 per acre. One machine cuts and cleans up in the same pass. The material stays on the property as a layer of chips.

Mulching suits brush, undergrowth and small trees. It is the wrong tool for large timber or for pulling big root balls. Sometimes you need bare, workable dirt for a build. For that, clearing a building lot with an excavator and a rake makes more sense.

Does the Season Change What You Pay in the Valley?

Season affects the schedule more than the rate. Valley ground stays wet from about October into May. Soft clay-loam ruts easily, so wet-season work can call for a lighter touch and more care.

Summer brings a different limit. The Oregon Department of Forestry typically posts Industrial Fire Precaution Levels during fire season. Higher levels restrict power-equipment hours in the woods and call for a fire watch after shutdown. We plan the work around the level that is posted.

Oregon also typically requires a call to 811 before ground-disturbing work. The notice runs two business days, and the locate itself is free. We build that into the timing.

How Do You Get a Real Number for Your Acreage?

Every range on this page comes from published market research. Each one describes a market. Your property sets the actual number.

We come out and look at the ground, then talk through what you want it to do. The estimate is free. Call or text (541) 936-4687. We cover Linn, Benton, Marion, Polk and Lane counties. See the towns we serve, or start with a free land clearing estimate.