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Tree Service in North Andover, MA
North Andover's Conservation Department answers the question directly: cutting a tree inside a wetland, its 100-, 50- or 25-foot buffer zones or a riverfront area takes Conservation Commission approval (Conservation FAQ). 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
- From the Merrimack to the Shawsheen
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Tree work in North Andover
Tree jobs between North Andover's brooks and back 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) 698-4783Let us know if the tree stands near a wetland, a brook or the edge of a yard that turns wet in spring. In North Andover that decides whether Conservation is part of the job.
Rules and permits
Who decides about trees in North Andover
For most private trees in North Andover, the deciding body is the Conservation Commission, and only when the tree sits in or near a wetland or a riverfront area (Conservation FAQ). The town's General Bylaws have no chapter on trees or scenic roads (General Bylaws), and we found no town permit for removing a tree on private land away from those areas. Trees along public roads are public shade trees under state law.
- Public trees
- Public Works, 978-685-0950; report problems through ReportIt!
- Wetland-area trees
- Conservation Commission approval inside the 100-ft buffer; Conservation 978-688-9530
- Wetland no-disturb
- 25 ft no-disturbance, 50 ft no-build
- Riverfront
- 200 ft along seven named brooks and two rivers
- Burning
- Online permit, January 15 to May 1, activated each burn day
Trees along the road. Public Works covers the town's public parks, grounds and forestry, and residents report tree problems through the town's ReportIt! system, which lists trees among the DPW issues it takes. Public Works is at 978-685-0950 and the town's main line is 978-688-9500 (Public Works). The town site doesn't describe its own process for removing a road tree. Massachusetts law requires a public hearing before a public shade tree is removed (M.G.L. c.87 §3), so a tree in the road layout is not the homeowner's to take down, even when it shades the driveway.
The wetland zones, step by step. The town's wetland rules come from General Bylaw Chapter 190 and the Wetland Protection Regulations, Chapter 260 (General Bylaws). The Conservation FAQ lays out three distances. The buffer zone reaches 100 feet from any resource area. Inside 50 feet is a No-Build Zone, where construction is generally prohibited and driveways or retaining walls are allowed only where there's no feasible alternative. Inside 25 feet is a No-Disturbance Zone: no activity at all, and the FAQ names clearing, grading, landscaping, filling, dumping and excavating. Isolated vegetated wetlands larger than 1,000 square feet and vernal pools are protected locally too, and abutter notice under the local rules reaches 300 feet, where state law stops at 100. One practical point: Conservation staff won't flag the wetland line for you; that takes a Professional Wetland Scientist (Conservation FAQ).
Seven brooks and two rivers. A 200-foot riverfront area runs along Mosquito, Rocky, Boston, Fish, Cedar and Cochichewick Brooks and along the Merrimack and Shawsheen Rivers (Conservation FAQ). A tree on a back lot that slopes to one of those brooks can be well past the 100-foot line and still inside the riverfront area.
Clearing larger areas. North Andover's Stormwater bylaw defines "strip" to include tree removal, clearing and grubbing, while ordinary upkeep of existing landscaping and lawns at single- and two-family homes is exempt (Stormwater bylaw, Ch. 165). Clearing a stand of trees for a new use of the land is a different matter from taking down one tree, so ask the town before a large clearing job.
Grinding stumps. Massachusetts treats digging, augering and grading as excavation and requires notice to Dig Safe at least 72 hours ahead, not counting Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays (M.G.L. c.82 §40A, definition of excavation, c.82 §40). Dig Safe suggests that a hired contractor place that call (Dig Safe FAQs); settle who does it before the grinder arrives.
The wire to the house. The state's 2021 electric franchise list shows National Grid serving North Andover (electric franchise list). National Grid trims around its high-voltage wires on area cycles, but branches near the low-voltage service drop to a house are the homeowner's. Call 1-800-322-3223 at least five days before the work so a forestry representative can look at it and, if needed, disconnect the service wire for the job; near the lines, use an electric-qualified tree contractor (National Grid trees FAQ). For a tree that brings a wire down, call National Grid at 1-800-465-1212 or 911 (National Grid trees page).
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 tree health
Handling the brush in North Andover
Leaves only at the curb. The fall 2026 leaf pickup, posted October 8, 2026, runs the weeks of November 2–6, November 9–14 (no pickup on Veterans Day, November 11), November 16–20 and November 30–December 4, with none in Thanksgiving week. It takes leaves and grass clippings only, no sticks or brush (fall leaf pickup notice). Branches from a pruning job don't go out with the leaves.
The Cyr Recycle Center. Public Works maintains and staffs the Cyr Recycle Center for yard waste disposal (Trash & Recycling), and the town posted its 2026 opening notice on April 1, 2026 (Cyr Center opening 2026). Hours and what it accepts are in the town's brochure; check them before planning to drop off brush, and expect trunk wood and stumps from a removal to need their own plan.
Burning brush. North Andover isn't on the state's list of communities where open burning is prohibited (310 CMR 7.07). The Fire Department posts the season as January 15 to May 1. You apply for a permit from the fire chief through the online Burn Permit Application, then activate it on each day you burn. Fires are allowed 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at least 75 feet from all buildings and as close as possible to where the material came from, only on days with acceptable air quality (MassDEP hotline 800-882-1497), never on red flag days and never unattended. The Fire Department is at 795 Chickering Road, 978-688-9590 (Burning Regulations & Permit).
Ash and a new tree. Emerald ash borer has been confirmed in 280 Massachusetts communities, and the state advises chipping ash wood or leaving it on site rather than moving it (state emerald ash borer guide). The town keeps a Tree Inventory and Management Plan page for its public trees. If you plan to replant, note that the town site carried a notice of a mandatory water ban as of September 15, 2026 (town site notice); check whether it's still in force before counting on a hose to establish a new tree.
FAQ
North Andover tree questions
Do I need permission to cut a tree near a wetland?
Inside a wetland, the 100-foot buffer zone or a riverfront area, yes: the Conservation Commission has to approve removing trees or other vegetation. If the tree is a health or safety hazard, the Conservation Department can schedule a site inspection. The office number is 978-688-9530.
Which brooks have a 200-foot riverfront area?
The town lists Mosquito, Rocky, Boston, Fish, Cedar and Cochichewick Brooks and the Merrimack and Shawsheen Rivers. Trees within 200 feet of them fall in the riverfront area.
Will the fall leaf pickup take my branches?
No. The 2026 fall pickup is for leaves and grass clippings only, with no sticks or brush. Public Works runs the Cyr Recycle Center for yard waste disposal; check the town's Trash & Recycling page for what it accepts.
Can I burn brush in North Andover?
Yes, during the season the Fire Department posts as January 15 to May 1. Apply online for a permit, activate it on each burn day, and burn only between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., at least 75 feet from all buildings, on an acceptable air-quality day and never on a red flag day.
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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