Brush Clearing in Spokane County: Methods and What to Settle First

Brush clearing removes shrubs, small trees and undergrowth from fence lines, roads, pasture edges and around buildings. In Spokane County the work usually comes down to the method, what happens to the material, and the burning limits.

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What brush clearing is

Brush is the shrubs, young trees and undergrowth that fill in land that is not mowed or worked. Clearing it can be as light as cutting along a fence or as heavy as clearing a whole field that has gone to thicket. The usual methods are grinding it in place with a mulching machine, cutting it with a brush cutter or saw and piling it, or pulling it with a machine and hauling it.

The U.S. Forest Service describes mulchers as machines that cut and chop or grind vegetation into particles that are usually left on site as mulch. Cutting and piling leaves piles that must be hauled, chipped or, where the law allows, burned. Pulling takes roots out and leaves more disturbed soil.

Which method fits depends on the brush, the ground and what you want the land to look like afterward.

When people look into this

Brush has grown into a fence line or along a road.
A field or pasture edge has turned to thicket.
Undergrowth has crowded close to a house or outbuilding.
A building site has to be opened up before bigger work.
A landowner is comparing grinding with cutting and piling.
A neighbor or fire district has raised brush near structures.

What the work usually looks like

Walk the area. The brush, the edges and the goal are looked over together.
Mark what stays. Trees, fences, wells and other features are marked.
Pick the method. Grinding, cutting and piling or pulling is chosen for the ground.
Clear. The brush is cut, ground or pulled.
Handle the material. Mulch is left, or piles are chipped, hauled or handled as the law allows.
Walk the result. The cleared area is checked and bare ground is dealt with.

How to prepare

Before work starts, it helps to settle these points:

Mark the edges of the area and what should stay.
Say how far from buildings, fences and wells the work should run.
Decide whether chopped material can stay on the ground.
Ask what the plan is for piles: chipped, hauled or something else.
Remember that burning is limited in Spokane County.
Ask whether the ground will be bare afterward and what covers it.
Ask whether the price is per acre or per hour.
Get the scope and price in writing.

What affects the cost

Prices vary with the land, the equipment and the work. A Forest Service research bulletin says mastication costs vary widely with the equipment, the terrain, site conditions and operator skill. For brush, density and the handling of material matter most.

Brush density. Thick thicket takes much longer than scattered shrubs.
Size of stems. Small stems grind rapidly, small trees take longer.
Method. Grinding, cutting and piling and pulling cost differently.
Terrain and rock. Slopes and rocks slow machines.
Material handling. Leaving, chipping or hauling changes the scope.
Access. Gates and narrow routes limit machines.
Pricing basis. Per acre or per hour.

Light brush and heavy brush are different jobs

Cutting a strip of shrubs along a fence is a different job from clearing a field of thicket, and a price for one does not carry over to the other. When you ask for a price, show the densest part of the area, not just the edge. Walk where the machine will have to work and point out rocks, wet spots and anything buried.

It also helps to say what a good result looks like. Some owners want bare ground, some want grass to come back, and some want a thin screen of shrubs left in place. A short written description saves arguments later.

Local rules and sources

Clearing rules. Under Washington's Forest Practices Act, clearing forestland that is being converted to another use is a Class IV forest practice, which needs an application approved by DNR unless a local government regulates it instead (RCW 76.09.050). Spokane County may also have clearing or grading rules. Contact DNR and Spokane County before work starts.

Burning. Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency (SRCAA) says land clearing fires are prohibited in Spokane County. A narrow exception applies when the fire is to abate or prevent a forest fire hazard, the material comes from less than one acre of forested land on a parcel of five acres or more in non-commercial ownership, and the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) decides the criteria are met, in which case DNR approves the fire and issues a permit. Burning yard and garden debris is not allowed for most Spokane County residents, with an exception inside Fire Districts 2, 5, 11 and 12. SRCAA also says debris from unimproved property may be burned under DNR's permit or rule burn programs when the land is outside the county's cities and urban growth areas and is protected by DNR, and that parts of the county are in a Smoke Sensitive Area with extra restrictions. DNR's burn permit page separately says DNR does not permit burning of debris from land clearing operations, so ask DNR whether the narrow exception fits your project before you plan any fire.

Funding. Washington DNR's financial assistance program for wildfire resilience and forest health says non-federal owners of forestland who own less than 5,000 forested acres can be eligible. DNR offers free consultations with a forester and shares the cost of qualifying treatments up to a predetermined amount. DNR does not do the work. The program page does not name forestry mulching, so ask DNR whether your project qualifies. For Spokane County, contact DNR's Northeast Region at ne_loa@dnr.wa.gov.

Registration. In Washington, search the company on the Department of Labor & Industries “Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business” page. Clearing and tree work are contractor specialties at L&I, but which one covers mulching isn't spelled out, so confirm which specialty the company is registered under.

Reasons to trust this page

Most rules on this page name their public source, such as a Washington statute or a DNR page.
Cost factors are explained in plain terms, and the only price figure is a general range from a third-party directory, with no quote behind it.
The email address is shown at the top of every page, and the Privacy page says what a quote request collects.

Common questions

What is the best way to clear brush?

It depends on the brush, the ground and the goal. Grinding in place with a mulcher leaves chopped material on the ground. Cutting and piling leaves piles to chip or haul. Pulling removes roots and disturbs more soil. Settle what the land should look like afterward, then ask each company which method it would use.

What happens to the brush after it is cleared?

That depends on the method. The Forest Service says mulchers leave the ground-up material on site as mulch. Cut brush is piled and must be chipped, hauled or, where allowed, burned. Ask how material will be handled and whether that is in the price, because hauling adds machine time and cost.

Can I burn cleared brush in Spokane County?

Not freely. Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency says land clearing fires are prohibited, with a narrow exception for less than one acre of forested land on a parcel of five acres or more in non-commercial ownership, decided by DNR. Ask SRCAA or DNR before you plan any burn, and ask a company how it will dispose of material.

Does brush clearing need a permit?

Often not for light work, but it depends on the land. Clearing forestland being converted to another use is a Class IV forest practice under RCW 76.09.050, and Spokane County may have clearing or grading rules. Work near water has more rules. Contact DNR and the county before work starts.

How is brush clearing priced?

Prices vary with the land, the equipment and the work. A Forest Service bulletin says mastication costs vary widely with equipment, terrain, site conditions and operator skill. Ask for a written price that says whether it is per acre or per hour and what is included, such as hauling and cleanup.

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