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Tree Service in Wilmington, MA
Wilmington's wetlands fact sheet names removing trees as work that can need a Conservation Commission permit, and wetlands come with a 100-foot buffer (town wetlands fact sheet). 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 rules explained
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Tree work in Wilmington
Tree jobs on Wilmington's wooded, wet 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) 698-4783Tell us how far the tree stands from the house, the wires and any wet ground. With about 19 percent of the town in wetland, that last one often decides the paperwork.
Rules and permits
Who decides about trees in Wilmington
Trees along Wilmington's roads are handled by the Tree Division of Public Works, and taking down a public shade tree goes through a posted public hearing (Tree Division). On private land, the rule that matters most is wetlands: the Conservation Commission reviews tree removal near them, and the town fines work done without approval. We found no designated scenic roads and no town tree bylaw.
- Street trees
- Tree Division, Public Works, 978-658-4481
- Scenic roads
- None found on the town site
- Wetlands
- Tree removal within 100 ft of a wetland or 200 ft of a river can need a permit
- Buffer zone fines
- $25, then $50, then $300 per violation
- Brush drop-off
- Yard Waste Center, residents only; no stumps, no commercial vehicles
Public shade trees. The Tree Division's page gathers material on tree identification, trimming and planting, a bulletin on public shade trees, vegetation management and the public shade tree hearing notices; its mailing address is 121 Glen Road and its yard is at 115 Andover Street (Tree Division). Hearing notices name the street and the time; one example set a hearing for Friday, August 21, 2020, at 9:00 a.m., for trees at 530 Shawsheen Avenue and Harold Avenue (hearing notice). Those hearings come from state law: a tree within a public way or on its boundary is a public shade tree, and removing one needs a hearing announced on the tree and in public places ahead of time (M.G.L. c.87 §3). If a tree at the edge of your yard might be the town's, call the Tree Division before anyone cuts.
Wetlands and the 100-foot buffer. The town's fact sheet lists "removing vegetation (trees)" among the kinds of work that can need a permit under the Wetlands Protection Act, notes that wetlands carry a 100-foot buffer and rivers a 200-foot riverfront zone, and treats planting native trees and keeping up existing landscaping as exempt. Questions go to Planning & Conservation at 978-658-8238 (wetlands fact sheet). That covers a lot of yards here: the 2015 open space plan counts about 19 percent of the town as wetland, including Ladder Pole Swamp, Cedars of Lebanon Swamp and Sinking Meadow (open space plan).
Fines for skipping the step. The Wetlands Enforcement By-Law, adopted at the 2006 Annual Town Meeting, prohibits removing, filling, degrading or otherwise altering resource areas and the 100-foot buffer zone without authorization. In the buffer zone the fine is $25, then $50, then $300 for a third or later violation; in a resource area itself it's $50, $150 and $300. A violation notice can order the work stopped, require mitigation or call for an after-the-fact Request for Determination or Notice of Intent (Wetlands Enforcement By-Law). Settle who files, and when, before the crew arrives.
Digging out a stump. Massachusetts counts digging, augering and grading as excavation and requires a call to Dig Safe at least 72 hours before, leaving out Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays (M.G.L. c.82 §40A, definition of excavation, c.82 §40). Dig Safe suggests the hired contractor make that call (Dig Safe FAQs); agree with your tree company on who does.
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.
Wires
Trees near RMLD lines
Wilmington's power comes from the Reading Municipal Light Department, not an investor-owned utility (state electric company list, RMLD), and the Tree Division's own page links to RMLD's tree trimming information. RMLD trims trees and brush that could grow into its lines, with clearances that depend on the voltage. It leaves public shade trees to the town and private trees to the landowner. If a tree is touching a line, don't touch it; call RMLD at 781-942-6598, answered around the clock. If a tree on your property is threatening a line, RMLD asks you to call so it can tell you whether you can trim it yourself or need a professional (RMLD tree trimming). Downed lines go to 781-944-1340 (RMLD).
Brush, burning, town woods and pests
Where the wood goes in Wilmington
The Yard Waste Center. The town's drop-off on the Old Main Street site, off Main Street at the Woburn line, takes leaves and brush only. Grass clippings and stumps aren't accepted, commercial vehicles are turned away, and you need photo ID showing Wilmington residency. Entry is by a $15 punch card good for five trips, sold for cash or check at the Collector's Office in Town Hall. The 2026 schedule runs selected Wednesdays from 8 to 2 and Saturdays from 9 to 4 between April 1 and December 5, and the last 2026 dates are December 2 and 5. The town added two June dates that year after a wind event (Yard Waste Center). Since a contractor's truck can't use the site and stumps have nowhere to go, decide on chipping, grinding and haul-away when you agree on the job.
Burning brush. The Fire Department's open burning page sets a January 15 to April 30 season. Call the business line at (978) 658-3346 after 8 a.m. on the day you want to burn. Only brush, cane and forestry debris are allowed; grass, hay, leaves, stumps, construction material and land-clearing debris are not. The fire must sit 75 feet from any building, be lit between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and be out by 4 p.m., and an adult with a hose has to stay with it. Burning is suspended on red flag and high fire danger days (Open Burning).
Town Forest, swamps and ledge. The 2015 open space plan puts the 156-acre Town Forest in the north of town and describes ledge along the Burlington line, near I-93 and in the Town Forest itself. It also contrasts droughty sandy soils with high-water-table and muck soils elsewhere (open space plan), so two lots a mile apart can call for very different stump work.
Beetle Watchers. The Tree Division runs a Wilmington Beetle Watchers resource covering Asian longhorned beetle, emerald ash borer, spotted lanternfly and winter moth, plus Wasp Watchers, a program that tracks emerald ash borer (Tree Division). Statewide, emerald ash borer has been confirmed in 280 communities, and the state advises chipping ash wood or leaving it on site (state emerald ash borer guide). If the tree coming down is an ash, say so in your request.
FAQ
Wilmington tree questions
Who looks after trees along Wilmington's streets?
The Tree Division, part of Public Works, at (978) 658-4481. Public Works also posts the notices for public shade tree hearings, which state law requires before a tree in a public way comes down.
What happens if trees get cut in a wetland buffer without approval?
Wilmington's Wetlands Enforcement By-Law fines buffer zone violations $25 for the first offense, $50 for the second and $300 after that, and a violation notice can require stopping work, mitigation or an after-the-fact filing. Ask Planning & Conservation at 978-658-8238 before work starts.
Will the Yard Waste Center take the wood from a tree job?
It takes leaves and brush from residents only, with photo ID and a $15 punch card good for five trips. It doesn't take stumps or grass clippings, and commercial vehicles aren't allowed, so the tree company's truck can't unload there.
Can I burn the brush myself?
The Fire Department's page lists a January 15 to April 30 season for brush, cane and forestry debris. Call the business line at (978) 658-3346 after 8 a.m. on the day you want to burn; stumps, leaves and land-clearing debris are excluded.
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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