Tree Removal Cost: Grays Harbor County, WA

Grays Harbor County is big-tree country on Washington's outer coast. Calls come from Aberdeen, Hoquiam and Cosmopolis yards with tall Douglas-fir, western hemlock and Sitka spruce close to the house, from red alder and bigleaf maple along the Chehalis and Wishkah river bottoms near Montesano and Elma, and from wind-bent shore pines and spruce at Ocean Shores and Westport. HomeGuide's February 2026 national survey puts most single-tree jobs at $400 to $1,200.

The Forest Service's 2023 FIA evaluation for Washington estimates about 1,123,900 acres of forest land in Grays Harbor County: the Douglas-fir group makes up 46.1%, hemlock and Sitka spruce 34.3%, alder and maple 11.7% and lodgepole pine 1.9%, with 3.1% nonstocked.

New building is modest. The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey counts 201 single-family buildings authorized in Grays Harbor County in 2025, after 251 in 2024 and 266 in 2023, so most calls are removals and storm work on existing lots rather than clearing for new homes.

Permits

Burning is overseen by the Olympic Region Clean Air Agency (ORCAA). In Grays Harbor County it asks residents who burn yard waste to file a free online notification; only natural vegetation grown on the property may be burned, in daylight, in a pile no more than 4 feet wide and 4 feet high, at least 50 feet from structures or standing timber and 10 feet from property lines. Fires can't be lit when winds top 5 mph and must be put out above 10 mph.

No-burn areas: ORCAA says Washington's Clean Air Act (RCW 70A.15), state law that has banned residential yard-waste burning in cities and urban growth areas since January 1, 2007, and burn barrels are illegal everywhere in Washington. Check ORCAA's map and its current burn-ban status before lighting a pile; fire-safety bans from DNR or the local fire district also apply in summer.

Disposal: the Grays Harbor Transfer Station, 29 Gavett Lane North in Montesano, lists municipal solid waste at $131.99 a ton with a $13.80 minimum. ORCAA points residents to curbside yard-waste pickup, chipping and composting as alternatives to burning.

Step 1: look up your parcel on ORCAA's no-burn map; inside a city or UGA, burning is out. Step 2: pick a disposal route, whether on-site chipping, a transfer station run or a notified pile in the country. Step 3: walk the drop zone, since a 100-foot fir reaches farther than most owners expect, and note roofs, sheds, fences and lines. Step 4: get two or three written bids that spell out cleanup and stump work. Step 5: request utility locates through 811 before any grinder digs in.

Local conditions

Steep timbered slopes: in the Grays Harbor County Area soil survey (WA627, which also covers Pacific and Wahkiakum counties), NRCS maps 70.7% of acres at grades of 15% or more, so tall conifers on hillside lots above Aberdeen and Hoquiam often come down in sections with rigging.

Wet river bottoms: NRCS data for the same survey map 9.5% of acres as poorly or somewhat poorly drained and 5.4% as occasionally or frequently flooded, mostly along the Chehalis, Wynoochee and Humptulips rivers, where saturated soil lets shallow-rooted spruce and alder tip in winter wind.

Rock in the Olympics: in the Olympic National Forest Area survey (WA632), which reaches into the north of the county toward Lake Quinault, NRCS puts bedrock within roughly 39 inches (100 cm) under 68.9% of acres and slopes of 15% or more on 90.7%.

Storms: FEMA's declarations data list 32 major disasters for Grays Harbor County, including 15 floods and 13 severe storms; the most recent, declared April 7, 2026, covered severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding and landslides. Pacific windstorms and gusts off the coast snap tops and uproot trees on soaked ground nearly every winter.

What drives local prices

Species: maples run $600-$1,200 and pines $250-$1,600 in HomeGuide's species chart, but on the Harbor the 100-foot-plus firs and spruce are priced mostly by height, lean and how much climbing they take.
Height: HomeGuide's height table prices a tree in the 60-80 ft band at $850-$2,000; second-growth conifers around Aberdeen often top that band, and each extra section lowered by rope adds crew time.
Disposal: the county transfer station lists $131.99 a ton for solid waste, so chipping on site or a notified burn outside a UGA usually beats hauling heavy green wood.
Clearing acreage: salal, salmonberry and young alder on a wooded parcel are quoted per acre, and HomeGuide's per-acre figure is $1,200-$8,000.
Mud and slope: winter rain turns many lots soft enough that crews mat the ground or carry wood by hand, and HomeGuide's hourly band of $100-$400+ applies; grinding a stump is $100-$500+ on its list.
Method: every species, height, per-acre, hourly and stump dollar figure above comes from HomeGuide's nationwide report dated February 4, 2026, so treat it as a starting range rather than a Harbor bid; the $131.99 rate comes from the county transfer station sheet, and burn limits come from ORCAA. Reviewed October 20, 2026.

Common jobs

Tall Douglas-fir, hemlock and spruce removal near houses
Alder and bigleaf maple removal along creeks and river bottoms
Windstorm cleanup and hazard-tree work after winter storms
Shore pine and spruce work at Ocean Shores and Westport
Lot clearing on wooded parcels
Stump grinding after removals

Service area

We hear from Aberdeen, Hoquiam, Cosmopolis, Montesano, Elma, McCleary, Ocean Shores, Westport, Oakville and Lake Quinault. US 12 runs from Aberdeen up the Chehalis valley through Montesano and Elma, US 101 follows the coast north through Hoquiam toward Lake Quinault, Highway 8 links Elma and McCleary toward Olympia, Highway 109 runs to Ocean Shores and Highway 105 to Westport.

Grays Harbor County borders Pacific, Lewis, Thurston, Mason and Jefferson counties; for another Washington page, see Yakima County.

Lines first: a fir leaning over a service drop is utility work, not a homeowner job. For everything else, describe the tree in the form on this page, with its kind, a height guess and what sits beneath it, and we'll email back about next steps and any insured Harbor-area crews we know.

Communities: Aberdeen, Hoquiam, Cosmopolis, Montesano, Elma, McCleary, Ocean Shores, Westport, Oakville, Lake Quinault

When something can’t wait

When a Pacific storm lays a fir across a roof or a line, get everyone out of the fall area and phone the utility or 911 before anyone touches it. HomeGuide notes that night and storm callouts commonly bill at two to three times day rates.

Questions about Grays Harbor County

What will one tree cost in Grays Harbor County?

Most single trees fall between $400 and $1,200 in HomeGuide's 2026 survey; tall firs and spruce on steep or soggy lots land above that.

Can I burn branches in Grays Harbor County?

Outside cities and UGAs, yes, if no burn ban is in effect. ORCAA asks you to file a free notification and limits piles to 4 feet wide and 4 feet high.

What does the transfer station charge?

The Grays Harbor Transfer Station in Montesano lists $131.99 a ton for solid waste, with a $13.80 minimum.

Are burn barrels allowed?

No. ORCAA says state law bans burn barrels anywhere in Washington.

What storms bring trees down here?

Winter windstorms and floods. FEMA lists 32 major disasters for the county, most recently in April 2026.

Sources

More Northwest tree removal pages

Local fees and rules change. Confirm with the county or state office named above before you clear. For published price ranges, see land clearing cost per acre or follow the worked estimate. Estimate your clearing cost.