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Tree Service in North Reading, MA
In North Reading, the Conservation Agent can approve cutting up to five trees in a wetland's 100-foot buffer without a full filing, but the stumps have to stay in the ground (Tree Removal). 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
- Wetland tree rules explained
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Tree work in North Reading
Tree jobs on North Reading's stony, wet ground
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 which job it is?
(978) 698-4783Count the trees and note any wetland flags or wet ground behind the house. In North Reading, five trees or fewer near a wetland is a different process from six.
Rules and permits
Who decides about trees in North Reading
Trees in North Reading's streets and on public grounds belong to the DPW's Tree Care Program (Tree Care). On private land, the Conservation Commission is the body most likely to be involved, because the town's wetlands bylaw reaches 100 feet from every resource area and the Commission has a written process for cutting trees there. We found no designated scenic roads and no town tree protection bylaw.
- Street trees
- DPW Tree Care Program, 978-664-6060; emergencies 978-664-3112
- Wetland buffer
- 100 ft; up to 5 trees by Agent approval, more by RDA or NOI
- No Disturb Zone
- 12 ft; no machinery, stumps ground only
- Burning
- Online Fire Department permit, Jan 15 to May 1
- Brush drop-off
- DPW facility, 166 Chestnut St, Saturdays in season
Street and public trees. The Tree Care Program maintains trees on public grounds and in the street right-of-way and removes dead and dangerous limbs and trees along public ways; over the years it has also replanted shade trees after removals, treated diseased trees and run gypsy moth control. Concerns go in through the town's Report a Concern page, and Town Hall is at (978) 664-6000 (Tree Care). DPW's main line is 978-664-6060, with 978-664-3112 for emergencies (Department of Public Works). A 2019 DPW notice for paving Peter Road and Anthony Road shows how a road project handles trees: a Massachusetts certified arborist reviewed 39 trees, mostly maples from 6 to 42 inches, and the town said no privately owned tree would be removed without the owner's consent and a signed Right of Entry form (2019 DPW notice). Under state law, removing a public shade tree takes a public hearing (M.G.L. c.87 §3).
The wetlands bylaw. Chapter 196, the Local Wetlands Protection Bylaw, protects resource areas and the land within 100 feet of them: no one may remove, fill, dredge, build upon, degrade or alter that ground without the Commission's permission. Abutters within 300 feet are notified, the hearing comes within 21 days, and fines run $25, $100 and $300, with each day counted as a separate offense (Chapter 196). The bylaw and the Commission's rules and regulations are posted on the Local Wetlands Bylaw and Regulations page.
Up to five trees by letter. The Commission's tree removal page says no trees may be cut in a wetland resource area or its 100-foot buffer without approval. For up to five trees in the buffer or in the 12-foot No Disturb Zone, a homeowner can ask for administrative approval: send a letter with the reason and a sketch of where the trees are, mark them, and the Agent inspects. The Agent weighs how many trees, how close they are, access, and whether there's an immediate safety threat. More than five trees, or any tree in the resource area itself, needs a Request for Determination or a Notice of Intent (Tree Removal). The Commission's fee schedule lists $75 for a Request for Determination on a one- or two-family site and no fee for the tree approval (Conservation fee schedule).
How the work has to be done. Trees are felled away from the wetland. All branches, slash and wood chips leave the site rather than going into the wetland or buffer, and no machinery goes into the wetland or the No Disturb Zone. Stumps may be ground to ground level but not removed; taking one out needs a Request for Determination or a Notice of Intent. When more than one tree comes down, at least one native tree or shrub is planted for each tree removed, from the town's native trees and shrubs list (Tree Removal). The Conservation office is at 978-357-5248, and the Commission meets virtually at 6 p.m.; its December 8, 2026 meeting takes submissions through November 24 (Conservation).
Trees near RMLD lines. North Reading's electricity comes from the Reading Municipal Light Department, which the town lists among its departments (town departments, state electric company list), and the Tree Care page links to RMLD's tree trimming program. RMLD leaves public shade trees to the town and private trees to their owners. For a tree touching a line, call 781-942-6598 at any hour and stay clear; for a private tree threatening a line, RMLD will tell you whether you can trim it yourself or should hire a professional (RMLD tree trimming).
Digging. Under state law, digging, augering and grading are excavation, and Dig Safe must be notified 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 recommends that a 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 the ground underneath
Getting rid of the brush in North Reading
Burn permits, all online. The Fire Department runs its own online permitting system. Applications open each November; once yours is approved, you activate it online on each day you burn, and the system won't let you when conditions are unsafe. The season runs January 15 to May 1, burning hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and fires sit at least 75 feet from buildings. Brush, cane, driftwood and forestry debris may be burned; leaves, grass, hay and stumps may not (burn permit rules, about the permit system).
Brush drop-off on Chestnut Street. Residents can bring yard waste to the DPW facility at 166 Chestnut Street on Saturdays from 8 to 4 between April 1 and November 1, and in November on Saturdays from 8 to 4 and Sundays from 12 to 4 through November 30. Grass and leaves go in one pile and small branches and twigs in another (Yard Waste Disposal). The page doesn't list stumps or logs, so plan for the tree company to take those.
At the curb. The town's 2023 curbside page limited branches to 3 inches across and 3 feet long, bundled and tied (2023 curbside notice); the current fall schedule is posted on the Curbside Yard Waste page.
Hardpan, boulders and stone walls. The 2013 open space plan describes glacial hardpan across town where water infiltrates extremely slowly and sits perched above it, along with stony, boulder-filled ground and stone walls (2013 open space plan). If a big tree stands in ground that stays wet, or a stump sits against a wall, mention it when you ask for the work.
Ash trees. All of Massachusetts is inside the national emerald ash borer quarantine zone, the beetle has been confirmed in 280 communities, and the state recommends chipping ash or leaving it on site (state emerald ash borer guide).
FAQ
North Reading tree questions
Do I need permission to take down trees near a wetland in North Reading?
Yes. No tree may be cut in a wetland resource area or its 100-foot buffer without Conservation Commission approval. Up to five trees in the buffer or the 12-foot No Disturb Zone can be approved administratively after the Agent inspects; more trees, or any tree in the resource area itself, need a Request for Determination or a Notice of Intent.
Can the stumps come out after a buffer zone removal?
They can be ground to ground level, but pulling them out needs a Request for Determination or a Notice of Intent. Slash and wood chips have to leave the site, and no machinery may go into the wetland or the 12-foot No Disturb Zone.
How do I get a burning permit?
Online, through the Fire Department's permit site, where applications open each November. On each day you burn during the January 15 to May 1 season, you activate the approved permit online; the system won't let you when conditions are unsafe.
Who takes care of the trees along the street?
The Tree Care Program run by the Department of Public Works, which maintains trees on public grounds and in the street right-of-way and removes dead and dangerous ones. Report a problem through the town's Report a Concern page or call DPW at 978-664-6060.
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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