Cost Guide
Pricing a lot clearing job in New Brunswick
There is no per-acre figure worth printing, so instead of inventing one we have set out the way a quote is actually built — enough for you to place your own lot on the scale before anyone comes out to see it.
Start here
You are buying machine hours, not acres
An acre describes a boundary. It says nothing about how many stems sit inside that boundary or how much trouble it takes to reach them, and those two things are what the meter actually runs on. That is the whole reason a per-acre rate falls apart the moment it meets a real lot.
Two properties we quoted last season make the point better than any explanation. Both owners described them over the phone as roughly an acre.
| The Salisbury lot | The Elgin lot | |
|---|---|---|
| What was growing | Big maple, nothing beneath it | Alder and fir, roughly fifteen years in |
| Stems the head has to take | Around sixty | Thousands |
| Underfoot | Dry and level throughout | A grade, and two soft hollows |
| Getting the float in | Straight off the pavement | A quarter mile of soft lane first |
| Days on site | One, comfortably | The better part of a week |
The framework
Seven things that move the price, in order of impact
Stem density
The biggest factor by a wide margin, and the least obvious. Stem count, not stem size. Dense young regrowth costs more than a smaller number of big trees.
Access
How the machine gets on, and how it moves once there. A soft approach, a weight-limited culvert, overhead wires or an entry a float can't turn into all add cost before any clearing starts.
Ground conditions
Flat and dry is fast. Sloped, wet, soft or ledgy is slow — the machine repositions constantly and sometimes has to lay its own mat to move.
Whether roots come out
The biggest step change on this list. Clearing to grade and grubbing are different operations with different production rates, and grubbing generates material that has to go somewhere.
Stem size and species
Up to 8–10 inches mulches efficiently. Larger stems take stages and the time per tree climbs. Softwood grinds faster than dense hardwood. And merchantable sawlogs are worth more standing than ground up.
Finish quality
A rough pass for pasture is quicker than a fine finish for lawn. Selective clearing around keepers is slower than clearing everything, because the operator is thinking about every cut.
Season and flexibility
Winter on frozen ground is often the best value of the year. Spring thaw is the worst. A flexible date is worth real money.
Self-assessment
Place your own property before you call
Walk your land with this. You'll have a much better sense of what to expect, and a far more productive conversation with any contractor — including us.
| Factor | Lower cost | Higher cost |
|---|---|---|
| Density | You can walk through easily | You have to force your way in |
| Stem size | Mostly under 6″ | Plenty over 10″ |
| Ground | Flat, dry, firm | Sloped, wet, rocky or soft |
| Access | Gate off a road, wide enough for a float | Long soft approach, narrow entry, weak culvert |
| Roots | Can stay in the ground | Must come out |
| Finish | Rough is fine | Fine finish or selective work |
| Timing | Flexible; happy to go in winter | Fixed date in the busy season |
| Shape | One open block | Scattered patches and tight corners |
Mostly left column?
Straightforward job at the efficient end. Mostly right? Budget accordingly — and know that a good quote will explain why rather than just handing you a bigger number.
Straight answers
Cost questions people actually ask
Why no price per acre on this page?
Because an honest one doesn't exist, and the figures you'll find online are almost all American — different growth, different soil, different season, different equipment rates, different currency.
More importantly, an acre is a unit of area and clearing is priced on machine time. Two one-acre lots in Salisbury can differ by a factor of five: one is open hardwood on flat dry ground with a gate off the road, the other is fifteen-year alder and spruce on a slope behind 300 metres of soft approach. Same acre on paper, entirely different job.
So how do you price it?
By standing on it. The visit costs you nothing and produces one number covering a scope written down in plain words, so there is no argument later about what was included.
The alternative — billing by the hour — hands you every unknown in the ground. If the approach turns out softer than it looked, that becomes your bill. Looking first is how we take that gamble off your side of the table and onto ours.
What's the single biggest cost driver?
Stem density, and it surprises people. Not tree size — stem count. A thousand three-inch alders is far more machine time than sixty twelve-inch maples, even though the maples look more impressive.
Try this on your own lot: walk twenty paces into it. If you had to turn your shoulders to do it, the machine will be working hard. If a quad could have followed you in, you are on the cheap end of the range.
How can I bring the cost down?
Clear less — the most common overspend is opening ground you'll never use. Go in winter or fall when conditions are good. Do the whole job in one mobilization rather than phasing it. Only grub where roots genuinely have to come out. And if there's merchantable timber standing, sell it first rather than mulching it.
Being flexible on dates helps too: a job that can slot into a gap is easier to price keenly than one that must happen a specific week.
How long does an acre take?
Half a day to three days, driven mostly by density and access. Because equipment work is priced on time, that day count effectively is the cost.
What should a proper quote contain?
A defined area you both agree on. What's included and what isn't. Whether grubbing is in or out, and where. What happens to the material. A firm price rather than a rate. And proof of insurance.
If a quote is missing any of those, ask for it in writing before you sign anything.
Does clearing add value to a property?
Usually, sometimes a lot — but not linearly. The value is in making land usable and legible: a buyer who can drive in and see the shape of the land pays more than one squinting from the road.
Clearing every last tree can reduce value. Mature trees and privacy screening are worth real money on a residential property and take decades to replace.
Related pages
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