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Tree Service in Westford, MA
Westford has designated ten of its roads as scenic, from Hildreth Street to Frances Hill Road, and road work there that would cut trees goes before the Planning Board. Call (978) 698-4783 or use the form. A person reads every request and replies with what happens next.
- Free for homeowners
- Town rules explained
- Six historic villages
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Tree work in Westford
Tree jobs we refer across Westford
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 where to start?
(978) 698-4783Give us the street name: on one of Westford's scenic roads, or near a brook or pond, the town may need to sign off before the tree comes down.
Town rules
Who decides about trees in Westford
In Westford, any tree in the town's right-of-way is a public shade tree managed by the Tree Warden, who sits under Public Works, and trimming or removing one requires the Tree Warden's permit (Tree Warden). Near wetlands, the Conservation Commission has its own say, even on private land.
- Road trees
- Tree Warden, Public Works, 28 North Street, 978-692-5520
- Scenic roads
- Ten; tree cutting in their right-of-way during road work needs Planning Board approval
- Wetland setbacks
- Work limits of 30 to 50 ft from the wetland edge, depending on the lot
- Burning
- Residential open burning not permitted at this time, per the Fire Department
- Brush
- Recycling Commission brush chipping days at the DPW, 28 North Street
Public shade trees. The Tree Warden plants, prunes and removes trees on public land and in rights-of-way, assesses public trees for safety and handles hazardous removals and storm response; the current Tree Warden is also the DPW Director. Residents ask for an inspection or pruning by contacting that office (Tree Warden). To trim a tree by the road, the registered owner submits the town's Permission to Trim Public Shade Tree form with each tree's species, trunk diameter and location. Removals go to a Tree Warden hearing under the state law; the March 1, 2024 hearing, for example, covered trees on Plain Road, Carlisle Road, Boston Road and Nutting Road, among them a 39-inch sugar maple (hearing agenda).
Scenic roads. Westford's Scenic Roads Bylaw dates to 1995 and now covers Hildreth Street, Old Lowell Road, Vose Road, Old Road, Gould Road, Leland Road, Stony Brook Road, Chamberlain Road, Hunt Road and Frances Hill Road. Repair, maintenance, reconstruction or paving that would cut or remove trees, or tear down or alter stone walls, within the public right-of-way is subject to a public hearing and Planning Board approval (Scenic Roads). Under state law that hearing is combined with the Tree Warden's when both apply (M.G.L. c.40 §15C).
Private trees. We found no general bylaw on the town's site requiring a permit to remove a tree on private land; the 2009 master plan recommended reviewing existing regulations for tree protection (2009 master plan). The exception is land near wetlands.
Wetlands. Westford's Wetland Protection Bylaw, adopted by Town Meeting in 1987, counts cutting trees as altering a resource area (Wetlands Bylaw), and the Commission reviews work within 100 feet of wetland resource areas and 200 feet of perennial streams (Wetlands and Permitting). The regulations in effect since December 9, 2020 treat cutting or removing vegetation as work and set limits of work measured from the wetland edge: 30 feet where an existing structure has an artificial surface, and 50 feet where the existing surface is not artificial or the lot is undeveloped. Staff can approve removing up to two dead or dying, and dangerous, trees if a licensed arborist certifies them, with replacements of similar trees; dead or broken limbs can come off, and trimming branches that hang over a house needs no review unless an impact is found. More than two such trees requires an application to the Commission (Wetland Rules and Regulations). The Commission does check: its January 14, 2026 minutes record staff finding, from aerial imagery, two conifers removed without approval within 200 feet of Spaulding Brook (Commission minutes).
Stumps and digging. Massachusetts requires notice to Dig Safe at least 72 hours before excavating, not counting weekends and legal holidays, and defines excavation to include digging, augering and grading (M.G.L. c.82 §40A, definition of excavation, c.82 §40). Dig Safe's members mark only their own lines, not private ones such as yard lighting (Dig Safe); your tree company can tell you whether its work calls for a ticket.
Wires. National Grid provides electricity in Westford (New Residents). It leaves branches near the service drop to your house to the homeowner and will disconnect that wire for your contractor if you call 1-800-322-3223 at least five days ahead (National Grid tree FAQ). If a wire is down, stay 30 feet away and call 911 or National Grid at 1-800-465-1212 (power line safety).
Last verified November 2026. Fees, restrictions and deadlines on this page are due for re-checking by January 2027. New England Tree Service is a referral service. We don't cut trees, request hearings or file with the conservation commission.
Brush and forest
Brush, burning and Westford's woodland
No burn pile for now. The Fire Department states that residential open air burning is not permitted at this time; when allowed, yard debris may only be burned from January 15 to May 1 with its permit, and illegal burners can be billed for putting the fire out (Open Burning).
Brush chipping. Yard waste and wood don't go in curbside recycling. The Recycling Commission runs brush chipping events at the DPW, 28 North Street, unless noted otherwise; the 2026–2027 guide lists the next one on May 8, 2027 (Recycling Guide 2026–2027). For anything bigger than a few branches, plan on the tree company chipping and hauling. After the March 2018 nor'easter the town opened a residents-only drop-off for storm branches behind the Highway Facility (storm debris notice), with contractors needing a signed letter from the owner.
A street tree plan. A state MVP Action Grant awarded in July 2021 funded Westford's Tree and Invasive Species Inventory and Management Plan, which set out to inventory street trees and invasives and plan new planting around power lines (tree and invasive species plan). The state's case study says the $79,200 grant and $29,317 town match covered about 15% of public trees along public rights-of-way, including nine of the ten scenic roads, and that the consultants recommended proactive tree care and invasive treatment, especially on scenic roads (state case study).
Forests and orchards. The 2009 master plan calls Westford forested and lists about 267 acres of Town Forest, including the Martina Gage Forest near Heart Pond and the Oscar Spaulding Forest, the 350-acre Emmet Conservation Land, and protected farmland such as Bohne Orchard and the former Drew Orchard on Blake Hill (2009 master plan). The Stony Brook Conservation Area, which takes in the East Boston Camps, adds almost 400 contiguous acres (Stony Brook).
Villages
Westford's six historic villages
The 2009 master plan names six villages and notes that all but Nabnasset are on the National and State Registers (2009 master plan).
Westford Center
The town\'s center, where Boston Road meets Main Street, with homes from the Federal period through Colonial Revival.
Graniteville
A village that grew around machinery manufacturing, then granite quarrying and wool, with workers' housing from the 1870s and 1880s.
Forge Village
Another village whose earliest workers' housing dates from the 1870s and 1880s.
Nabnasset
The one historic village not on the National and State Registers.
Brookside
One of the five villages on the National and State Registers.
Parker Village
Also called Parkerville, and also on the Registers.
FAQ
Westford tree questions
Which Westford roads are scenic roads?
Ten: Hildreth Street, Old Lowell Road, Vose Road, Old Road, Gould Road, Leland Road, Stony Brook Road, Chamberlain Road, Hunt Road and Frances Hill Road. Repair, paving or other road work that would cut or remove trees, or alter stone walls, in their right-of-way needs a public hearing and Planning Board approval.
I have two dead trees near wetland. Do I need a full Conservation Commission filing?
Possibly not. Westford's wetland regulations let staff approve removing up to two dead or dying, and dangerous, trees as a minor activity if a licensed arborist certifies them, with similar trees planted as replacements. More than two needs an application to the Commission.
How do I get permission to trim a tree by the road?
Ask the Tree Warden, who works out of Public Works at 28 North Street (978-692-5520). The registered owner fills in the town's Permission to Trim Public Shade Tree form, listing each tree's species, trunk diameter and location, and the Tree Warden signs it with any conditions.
Can I burn the branches after a tree job?
The Fire Department's page says residential open air burning is not permitted at this time. For brush, the Recycling Commission holds brush chipping days at the DPW yard, and the tree company can chip and haul the rest.
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.