Real numbers, because nobody else publishes them
Ask five contractors what it costs to clear an acre in Maine or New Hampshire and you'll get five versions of "it depends." It does depend — but the ranges are knowable, and you deserve them before anyone walks your lot. Here's what we see across York County, southern Maine, and the NH Lakes Region in 2026.
2026 land clearing cost ranges
- Forestry mulching: $1,500–$3,500 per acre. A mulching head grinds brush and small trees in place — no burning, no hauling, instant ground cover. Best for view corridors, trails, pasture reclamation, and keeping a lot "parked" until you build.
- Light clearing (brush and small timber): $2,500–$5,000 per acre. Cutting, hauling, and disposal on lots without heavy sawtimber.
- Full clearing, stumping & grubbing: $5,000–$10,000+ per acre. Everything down to buildable subgrade — trees dropped, stumps pulled, roots grubbed, debris off-site. This is what a house, garage, or ADU footprint actually requires.
- Individual tree and stump work: big single trees near structures run a few hundred to over a thousand dollars each; stump pulling on its own typically $150–$400 per stump depending on size and access.
Most building projects don't clear the whole parcel — a typical new-home site clears half an acre to an acre for the house, septic, well, driveway, and lawn, so clearing budgets often land in the $5,000–$15,000 range even on big lots.
What moves the number
1. What's standing. Mature pine and oak take longer to drop and haul than alder and brush — though marketable timber can offset cost on larger parcels. 2. Access. A lot on pavement with room to stage trucks clears cheaper than a back lot up a soft camp road. 3. Ledge and boulders. Grubbing roots out of ledge shelf is slow work — southern Maine and the Lakes Region both have plenty of it. 4. Wet ground. Seasonal timing matters; frozen or dry ground protects your budget. Wetland setbacks can also shrink the clearable area. 5. Shoreland zoning. Within 250 ft of lakes and great ponds, both Maine and New Hampshire strictly limit clearing — percentage caps, buffer strips, and permit requirements. We design clearing plans to those rules, with Maine DEP-certified erosion control on every shoreland job. 6. Disposal. Chipping on site is cheapest; hauling stumps and debris off-site adds trucking. Burning requires permits and the right conditions.
Why clearing + site work as one package beats hiring a logger
A logging or tree outfit clears trees. Then you still need someone to pull stumps, grub roots, cut the driveway, dig the septic, and grade the pad — usually a second contractor, a second mobilization, and a gap where nobody owns the transition. We do it as one continuous scope with one crew and one set of machines: clear, grub, grade, dig. The mobilization you don't pay twice for typically covers a meaningful chunk of the clearing bill.
It also changes the plan itself: a site contractor clears to the *build* — saving the right trees for screening, positioning the septic field before a machine ever touches the woods, and grading spoils into the driveway base instead of trucking them away. Read our 10-point land feasibility checklist before you buy or clear anything.
Clearing for a build? Get one number for all of it
Whether it's a new home site, a garage, or an ADU, clearing is step one of a package we price as a whole — clearing, septic, foundation, utilities, driveway. Get an instant estimate or book a free site walk and we'll give you a real number on your actual woods, not a per-acre guess.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to clear 1 acre of land in Maine or NH?
In 2026: forestry mulching runs $1,500–$3,500 per acre, light clearing $2,500–$5,000, and full clearing with stump removal and grubbing on heavily wooded ground $5,000–$10,000+. Access, ledge, and what is standing drive the spread.
Do I need a permit to clear land?
Often, yes. Within 250 feet of lakes and great ponds, both Maine and New Hampshire shoreland rules strictly limit clearing with percentage caps and buffer strips. Outside shoreland zones, requirements vary by town. We handle the permitting either way.
Can selling the timber offset my clearing cost?
Sometimes — on larger parcels with marketable sawtimber (mature pine or oak), the wood has value that can offset part of the job. On typical building lots the volumes are too small to matter much, but we will tell you honestly either way.
What's the best time of year to clear land?
Frozen or dry ground — late winter and late summer are ideal. Mud season is the enemy: soft ground slows machines, rutting damages the site, and wet soils can push costs up. Flexible timing is one of the easiest ways to lower your price.
Should I hire a logger or an excavation contractor to clear my lot?
If you are building afterward, a site contractor. A logger drops trees but leaves stumps, roots, and grading for a second contractor and a second mobilization. We clear, grub, grade, and dig as one continuous scope priced as one number.
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