Home › Massachusetts › Pepperell
Tree Service in Pepperell, MA
Every road in Pepperell except Routes 111, 113 and 119 is a designated scenic road, so road work that cuts a roadside tree needs Planning Board consent after an advertised hearing (Code of the Town of Pepperell). 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
- Along the Nashua and Nissitissit
Ask About Tree Service in Your Area
Say what the tree is doing and whether it stands by the road, a stone wall or water. A person reads it and replies with what happens next.
Please add your name, a 10-digit phone number and a valid email.
Your request didn't go through on our end. Please call (978) 698-4783 so it isn't lost.
Too many requests have come from this connection in a short time. Please call (978) 698-4783 and we'll take it from there.
We couldn't finish the spam check. Wait a moment and send it again, or call (978) 698-4783.
Tree work in Pepperell
Tree jobs along Pepperell's scenic roads and rivers
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) 698-4783Tell us whether the tree is at the road, on a stone wall line or near the river; in Pepperell, each brings a different board into it.
Rules and permits
Who decides about trees in Pepperell
Pepperell elects a Tree Warden for a three-year term (Code of the Town of Pepperell, §27-2), while day-to-day work on road trees falls to the DPW Highway Division. The Planning Board has a say over trees along the scenic roads, which is nearly all of them, and the Conservation Commission over trees near wetlands. We found no town permit for removing a tree on private land away from the road and from wetlands (town bylaws).
- Road trees
- DPW Highway Division, 978-433-5735; Route 119 is the state's
- Scenic roads
- Every road except Routes 111, 113 and 119
- Wetlands
- 50-ft undisturbed vegetated strip; pruning exempt
- Burning
- Jan 15 to May 1 with a $20 online season permit
- Yard waste
- Transfer station, 66 Boynton Street, by the bag, barrel or load
Road trees and Route 119. The Highway Division maintains trees in the town right-of-way on all public streets, trimming them from time to time and taking down unsafe ones. Route 119 is overseen by the state highway department, and tree concerns there go to 800-227-0608. For an unsafe tree near any other road, call the Highway Division at 978-433-5735 or Town Hall at 978-433-0333 (Highway Division services). The Planning Board's rules, adopted June 20, 2023, ask applicants to show stone walls and trees affected by clearing in neighboring public rights-of-way, citing the scenic road and public shade tree laws, and to show trees 8 inches in diameter and larger on their plans (Planning Board rules).
A town of scenic roads. Chapter 141 of the town code designates every road other than Routes 111, 113 and 119 as a scenic road under M.G.L. c.40 §15C. Repair, maintenance, reconstruction or paving work on them may not cut or remove trees or tear down stone walls without the Planning Board's prior written consent after a duly advertised public hearing, and the Board weighs public safety, scenic views, natural beauty and emergency access (Code, Chapter 141). The chapter sets no diameter threshold. The town's 2018 open space plan says the same thing: removing trees or stone walls along those roads takes a Planning Board hearing (2018 open space plan). Under the Board's 2023 rules, public hearing notice runs in a local newspaper at least 14 days ahead, parties in interest are mailed notice at least seven days before, and the Board or a subcommittee visits the site no later than a week before the hearing unless it waives the visit (Planning Board rules).
The 50-foot strip. The town's Wetlands Protection Bylaw, approved May 6, 2002, calls for a 50-foot undisturbed strip of naturally occurring vegetation between any activity and wetland resource areas or certified vernal pools. Activities exempt under the state regulations, such as lawn mowing and pruning, are exempt here as well, and lots recorded on or before May 6, 2002 get some relief but must still comply as fully as possible (Wetlands Protection Bylaw). Local filing fees are $50 for a Request for Determination on an existing single-family home and $50 per activity for a Category 1 Notice of Intent (wetland filing information). The Conservation Commission meets virtually on the first and third Tuesdays at 6 p.m., applications are due 15 days ahead, and the office number is 978-433-0325 (Conservation Commission).
Clearing a larger lot. Clear-stripping vegetation, or filling 6 inches or more, across 20,000 square feet or more of a parcel takes a Planning Board special permit under the zoning bylaw (zoning bylaw). And an earth removal permit must come with a stump disposal plan; without one, stumps may not be buried on the lot (Code, §88-3).
Grinding a stump. State law treats digging, augering and grading as excavation and requires notice to Dig Safe 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 the hired contractor make that call (Dig Safe FAQs); confirm it with the company doing the work.
Trees and wires. The state's 2021 electric franchise list shows National Grid serving Pepperell (electric franchise list). The town notes that the electric and cable companies trim around their own poles and wires, and asks residents to call National Grid at 1-800-322-3223 about a tree in danger of falling on the lines (Highway Division services). National Grid leaves branches near the service drop to the homeowner and asks for a call at least five days before work near it, so it can assess the job, sleeve the wires or briefly disconnect the service (National Grid trees FAQ). The town's 2020 master plan records storms that left parts of town without power for a week or more (master plan).
Last verified November 2026. Fees, restrictions and deadlines on this page are due for re-checking by April 2027. 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
Dealing with the wood in Pepperell
The transfer station. Pepperell has no curbside brush pickup that we could find. The transfer station at 66 Boynton Street, open Tuesday through Saturday 7:00 to 3:30, takes compost and yard waste for a small fee with a station permit, which runs from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027: 25 cents a bag, 55 cents a barrel, $2.50 for half a pickup load and $5.00 for a full one, cash or check, with prices subject to change (items accepted for a fee; Transfer Station). The list doesn't name logs, large branches or stumps, so call the station at (978) 878-1863 before you bring wood from a removal.
Burning brush. The Fire Department's season runs January 15 to May 1. The $20 permit, ordered online, is good for the whole season; on each burn day you check the status and register your permit number, and the form appears only when burning is allowed. Brush is burned at least 75 feet from dwellings, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., on land closest to where it was cut, and stumps, leaves, grass and commercial land-clearing brush are never allowed (Fire Department permits). The town's Open Burning Bylaw allows burning only with that permit and sets fines of $50, $100 and $150 for violations in a calendar year (Open Burning Bylaw). The Fire Department number is 978-433-2113.
Second-growth woods. The 2018 open space plan describes dense forest in western and northern Pepperell, mostly second growth on old farmland, a Town Forest on River Road with an adopted forest management plan, and more than 2,800 protected acres including the 300-acre J. Harry Rich State Forest. The town has almost 8 miles of Nashua River frontage and 4 miles along the Nissitissit, and its stone walls are thickest in the west (2018 open space plan). The 2020 master plan counts 40 parcels, 949.6 acres, under the Chapter 61 programs (master plan).
Main and Park Streets. The Pepperell Center Historic District, listed on the National Register, takes in Main and Park Streets, lined with mature trees (Historic District).
Ash trees. Emerald ash borer is confirmed in 280 Massachusetts communities, and the state advises chipping ash or leaving it on site rather than moving the wood (state emerald ash borer guide).
FAQ
Pepperell tree questions
Who do I call about a dangerous tree by the road?
The DPW Highway Division at 978-433-5735 maintains trees in the town right-of-way on public streets. Route 119 is the exception: the state highway department oversees it, and tree concerns there go to 800-227-0608.
Is my road a scenic road?
Almost certainly, unless you live on Route 111, 113 or 119. Pepperell designates every other road as scenic, so repair, maintenance or paving work that would cut trees or take down a stone wall in the right-of-way needs the Planning Board's written consent after an advertised public hearing.
How close to a wetland can a tree come down?
Pepperell's Wetlands Protection Bylaw calls for a 50-foot undisturbed strip of natural vegetation next to wetland resource areas and certified vernal pools. Pruning is among the exempt activities, but removal in or near that strip is a question for the Conservation Commission at 978-433-0325.
Can I burn the brush from a tree job?
Yes, from January 15 to May 1 with the Fire Department's $20 season permit, ordered online. Check each day whether burning is allowed, burn between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at least 75 feet from dwellings, and never burn stumps, leaves or grass.
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.
Nearby