How much does it cost to clear an acre?

Why I will not guess over the phone

People call with a number they already got and ask if it is high. I understand why. But an acre of thin brush and an acre of thick cedar with big hardwoods mixed in are not the same job, and a quote from an office is a guess dressed up as a price. I come out, look at it, and give you a number I can stand behind.

What actually moves the number

Roughly in this order:

• How thick it is. Brush and small trees move fast. Big trees and heavy cedar take time.
• Stumps. Mulching leaves them ground down. A full clear pulls them and the roots, and that is real work.
• What happens to the debris. Mulched in place costs less than cut, piled, and hauled off. Haul-off means loads, and loads add up.
• Slope and wet ground. Steep or soft ground slows everything down.
• Access. If I can drive a machine straight onto it, that is easier than cutting a path in first.
• What you want it to look like after. Walkable and open is one job. Pad-ready dirt is another.

How to compare quotes

Make sure every quote covers the same thing: same area, same finish, and the same plan for stumps and debris. A cheaper number that leaves the piles on your land, or bills the loads later, is not cheaper. Mine spells all of that out so you can compare it line by line.