Tree Service in Sterling, MA

Tree Service in Sterling runs into a few specific local rules. In Sterling, the Superintendent of Public Works also serves as Tree Warden and is responsible for trees in the rights-of-way of town roads. The town's guidance is to ask the Tree Warden if you are unsure whether a tree is on town property. On a designated scenic road, the Planning Board must also be involved, and both the Tree Warden and the Planning Board hold public hearings before a removal is allowed.

The 2-inch brush limit

The town brush dump, behind the Police Department on George Peeso Lane, opens on spring and fall Saturdays for residents with proof of residency. It takes leaves, grass clippings and branches up to 2 inches thick. Anything larger isn't accepted, and neither are stumps of any kind. In practice, that means most of a tree from a removal or a big pruning job has to be chipped, cut for firewood, or hauled away. We spell out which in every Sterling estimate.

On the reservoir

Sterling borders Boylston on the Wachusett Reservoir, and parts of the town were flooded when the reservoir was built at the start of the 1900s. Homes near the shore often border state watershed woods. Trees at that edge lean toward open water and light, and limbs extend over yards and driveways.

A town of long-time owners

The Census reports that 86.3% of Sterling homes are owner-occupied, and 96.6% of residents lived in the same house a year earlier, one of the highest figures near Worcester. About 22.9% of residents are 65 or older. Many properties are larger, with older shade trees near the house and woods behind.

Mary's lamb and the old town

Sterling is the setting of the poem 'Mary Had a Little Lamb.' Mary Sawyer, believed to be the real Mary, lived in town and attended the Redstone School. The old roads lined with stone walls and mature trees are a big part of the town's character, which is one reason the scenic road rules matter here.

Power lines

Sterling has its own electric utility, the Sterling Municipal Light Department. For anything touching a wire, call the department first and stay back.

What we handle in Sterling

• Removals with brush chipped and wood cut or hauled
• Pruning large shade trees near houses
• Trees along the reservoir and watershed edges
• Stump grinding (the brush dump doesn't take stumps)
• Storm cleanup

Call (508) 731-3691 or fill out the form. If the tree is near the road, we'll help you sort out whether the Tree Warden or Planning Board needs to be involved first. Get a free estimate