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Tree Service in Burlington, MA
In Burlington, removing a tree in the wetland buffer zone needs the Conservation Department's approval first, except for removing dead limbs or vista pruning (Wetlands Bylaw Regulations). Call (978) 698-4783 or use the form. A person reads every request and replies with what happens next.
- Free for homeowners
- Insurance checked first
- Mill Pond to the Woburn line
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Tree work in Burlington
Tree jobs on Burlington's half-acre lots
Tree Removal
Dead, dying, leaning or simply unwanted trees, including the tight ones that have to come down in sections over a roof.
Pruning & Trimming
Deadwood out, limbs lifted off the roof and the service wire, and crowns thinned so the tree stands up to wind and snow.
Stump Grinding
Grinding the stump below grade so the spot can be seeded, planted or paved, with the chips hauled off or left as mulch.
Storm Damage & Emergency Work
Trees and big limbs on the house, the car or the driveway after wind, ice or a nor'easter, once the utility has made any wires safe.
Not sure what the tree needs?
(978) 698-4783Mention any wetland or stream nearby. In Burlington, cutting a tree in the wetland buffer zone needs the Conservation Department's approval first.
Rules and permits
Who decides about trees in Burlington
For a homeowner's tree in Burlington, the Conservation Commission and its staff are the ones to ask, if the tree stands in a wetland buffer zone or a riverfront area (Conservation Commission). Trees along town roads are public shade trees under the Tree Warden. We found no town tree bylaw, scenic road list or local historic district, so a private tree outside the wetland areas has no town permit that we could find.
- Tree Warden
- DPW Superintendent (2019 open space plan); Highway 781-270-1677
- Buffer-zone trees
- Prior Conservation approval; 1:1 native replanting may be required
- Wetland zones
- 100-ft buffer; 20-ft no-disturb on existing house lots; 200-ft riverfront
- Conservation
- Town Hall, 29 Center Street, 781-270-1600
- Curbside branches
- 4 in. diameter, 3 ft long, 50 lb bundles; set collection weeks
The Tree Warden and town trees. Burlington's 2019 open space plan says the DPW Superintendent acts as Tree Warden, with duties limited to protecting shade trees. The Highway Division has a small tree care budget for safety pruning and removing diseased trees, and requests to remove a town tree are generally denied unless the tree is unsafe or diseased (2019 Open Space and Recreation Plan). The Highway Division is at 1 Great Meadow Road, 781-270-1677, and Public Works at 781-270-1670 (Highway; Public Works). Cambridge Street, Route 3A, belongs to MassDOT, at 781-641-8300. A public shade tree can only be removed after a tree warden's public hearing under state law (M.G.L. c.87 §3), so a crew working on your side of the property line leaves the town's tree alone.
Buffer zones and riverfront. Burlington's Wetlands Bylaw sets a 100-foot buffer zone and a 200-foot riverfront area along the streams shown on the town's "Regulatory Streams of Burlington" map, perennial or intermittent (Wetlands Bylaw). A brook that runs dry by August can still put a back-lot tree inside the riverfront area.
What the 2024 regulations say about trees. The Wetlands Bylaw Regulations, adopted January 23, 2014 and amended effective April 1, 2024, presume that removing vegetation within 20 feet of a resource area, the no-disturb zone on existing residential lots, alters the resource area. Mature trees are to be preserved to the maximum extent. Removing trees in the buffer zone, other than dead limbs or vista pruning, needs the Conservation Department's approval beforehand, and the Commission may require native replanting at one to one. For buffer-zone work at an existing single-family home, the local Request for Determination fee is $50 (Wetlands Bylaw Regulations). (delete the sentence)
Larger clearing. Burlington's stormwater bylaw requires a permit from the Conservation Commission for land disturbance of 5,000 square feet or more, or an impervious increase of 5% or more that drains off-site (Stormwater bylaw). Clearing a wooded corner of a lot can reach 5,000 square feet faster than people expect.
Wires and digging. Eversource (NSTAR Electric) serves Burlington, according to the state's 2021 electric franchise list (electric franchise list). Eversource's tree-trimming FAQ, a general page that doesn't name a state, describes trimming circuit by circuit on a four- to seven-year cycle and says the company may temporarily remove a pole-to-house line for a contractor's tree work if you call ahead (Eversource tree-trimming FAQs). Stump grinding counts as excavation under state law, which covers digging, augering and grading and requires Dig Safe notice at least 72 hours ahead, not counting weekends and legal holidays (M.G.L. c.82 §40A, definition of excavation, c.82 §40); Dig Safe suggests the hired contractor make the call (Dig Safe FAQs).
Last verified November 2026. Fees, restrictions and deadlines on this page are due for re-checking by December 2026. New England Tree Service is a referral service. We don't cut trees, request hearings or file with the conservation commission.
Brush, burning and town woods
Brush and woods in Burlington
Curbside branches. The remaining 2026 yard waste collection runs October 19 to December 4, 2026; collection in 2027 starts with April 19 to May 28, then June 21 to 25. Branches can be no more than 4 inches in diameter, in tied bundles up to 30 inches wide and 3 feet long, 50 pounds at most, set out by 7 a.m. on the Monday of the collection week, with no plastic bags (yard waste calendar; Trash & Recycling). The town lists no brush drop-off and says nothing about stumps, so trunk wood and anything thicker than 4 inches is the tree company's to chip or haul.
Burning. Burlington isn't on the state's list of communities where open burning is prohibited (310 CMR 7.07). The town's open burning page refers to its posted regulation, and permits are issued through the town's OpenGov portal (Open Burning Regulation and Permits); the Fire Department is at 21 Center Street, 781-270-1925 (Fire Department). Statewide, brush burning is allowed January 15 to May 1 with a fire department permit, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at least 75 feet from dwellings, and stumps and leaves can't be burned (open burning rules).
The Landlocked Forest and other woods. The 2019 open space plan calls the 270-acre Landlocked Forest "the largest unprotected woodland in town"; the Mill Pond conservation land covers more than 140 acres, and the Mary P.C. Cummings estate's woods and fields, about 140 acres, lie along the Woburn border. The same plan describes a town of mostly single-family homes on half-acre zoning, built as Route 128 turned farmland into subdivisions (2019 Open Space and Recreation Plan).
What residents already do. In the draft 2025 update of the town's hazard mitigation plan, trimming or removing trees close to the home was, with buying homeowners or renters insurance, the step residents most often reported taking to protect their property (Hazard Mitigation Plan final draft). For ash trees, the state advises chipping the wood or leaving it on site rather than moving it (state emerald ash borer guide).
FAQ
Burlington tree questions
Can I take down a tree in the wetland buffer zone?
Not without the Conservation Department's approval first, except for dead limbs or vista pruning. The Commission may ask for native trees to be replanted at least one for one.
Will the town take down the tree at the street in front of my house?
Usually only if it's unsafe or diseased. The 2019 open space plan says the DPW Superintendent acts as Tree Warden, with duties limited to protecting shade trees, and removal requests are generally denied otherwise. Trees on Cambridge Street (Route 3A) are MassDOT's.
How big can branches be at the curb?
Up to 4 inches in diameter, in tied bundles no more than 30 inches wide, 3 feet long and 50 pounds, out by 7 a.m. Monday of a collection week. The last 2026 window ends December 4, and 2027 collection starts April 19.
Do streams that dry up in summer count?
Yes. Burlington's bylaw puts a 200-foot riverfront area along the streams on its Regulatory Streams map, whether they're perennial or intermittent.
What does it cost me to use New England Tree Service?
Nothing. The request and the referral are free; the tree company prices the work.
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