Tree Service in Sturbridge, MA

Tree Service in Sturbridge often comes down to oaks. In 2017, gypsy moth caterpillars (now called spongy moth) defoliated roughly a third of Massachusetts' forest canopy, and Wells State Park in Sturbridge was among the hardest-hit sites. The 1,400-acre park on Route 49 is mostly woodland, and many private properties around it share the same oak-heavy forest. Trees stripped two or three years in a row, during drought, often died back or died outright.

Dead oaks don't wait

A dead oak can stand for a while, but its wood dries and becomes brittle, and big limbs start to drop without warning. Climbing becomes unsafe as the wood weakens, so removal often gets harder and more expensive the longer it waits. If you have oaks with no leaves, bark falling off, or dead tops near your house or driveway, have them looked at.

A large, rural town

Sturbridge has about 37.2 square miles of land and only 265 people per square mile. Many homes are on wooded lots, often near water. Fiskdale, in the northwest part of town, is a census-designated place with its own post office. Old Sturbridge Village, a living museum of rural New England from the 1790s to the 1830s, sits on Route 20.

Beetle awareness

Sturbridge is not in the Asian longhorned beetle regulated area, but the town's Tree Warden has published guidance on recognizing the beetle and reporting it to the state Pest Alert Hotline at 617-626-1779. The guidance also notes that wood and wood products can't leave a quarantine area. If you buy firewood from outside the area, ask where it came from.

Owners and homes

Census figures show 86.3% of homes are owner-occupied and 90.3% of residents lived in the same house a year earlier. The median value is $425,800.

Wood and firewood

We can chip brush, cut logs for firewood and stack them, or haul everything away. Oak makes excellent firewood once seasoned. Ash should stay local because the whole state is under the emerald ash borer quarantine, and the state recommends chipping ash debris or leaving it on site.

Timing

Removals can be done any time of year, but winter, with frozen ground and no leaves, is often good for wooded lots. It protects lawns from equipment ruts and makes it easier to see the structure of the tree.

What we do in Sturbridge

• Removing dead and dying oaks before they become dangerous
• Pruning trees over houses, driveways and docks
• Clearing trees along lake frontage
• Stump grinding
• Storm cleanup

Call (508) 731-3691 or send the form. We'll walk the property and give you a written estimate for each tree. Get a free estimate