Tree removal in Portland, Maine.
Taking a tree down in Portland is mostly a problem of space. A dead maple behind a West End row house or an oak leaning over a Deering garage usually has a roof, a fence, a neighbor's yard and overhead wires within reach, and nowhere to drop it whole. The work is done in pieces, lowered carefully, and the brush is hauled out through the same narrow driveway it came in.
Every removal starts with a free on-site estimate and an honest assessment of whether the tree has to come down at all. Large or hazardous takedowns are quoted case by case.
Ash trees and the EAB quarantine
The emerald ash borer was first detected in Maine in 2018, and the state quarantine now covers all of Cumberland County. The Maine Forest Service warns that trees injured by EAB become brittle and threaten the safety of property and people around them. A dying ash near a house is best removed before it becomes dangerous to climb, which is also when removal is simplest. The longer a dead ash stands, the drier and more brittle its limbs become, and the more caution the takedown needs. Ash wood moving within the quarantine area should follow the Forest Service's handling practices, and the state bans out-of-state firewood.
Rules that decide which trees can go
Street trees are handled differently from yard trees. The Land Use Code has the City Arborist identify heritage or feature mature street trees, and a development that removes one pays into the Tree Fund at a rate set higher than the cost of planting a new tree.
Near the shore the rules tighten. Within 75 feet of the high-water line or a wetland, the Shoreland Overlay Zone requires a well-distributed stand of trees to remain, caps any cleared canopy opening at 250 square feet, and limits removal to 40 percent of the volume of trees four inches or more in diameter over ten years. A storm-damaged tree on an island shore or beside Back Cove can usually be dealt with, but what replaces it and how much else is cut are governed by that buffer.
Portland's historic preservation code exempts changes in vegetation outside designated historic landscape districts, so removing a yard tree on a historic street does not by itself trigger review.
Dead · Storm-Damaged · Hazardous
How we handle tree removal
When a tree has to come down, we start with an honest assessment and a free on-site estimate, then remove it — unwanted, dead, storm-damaged or hazardous — and haul the brush away. Large or hazardous takedowns are quoted case by case.
See the full tree removal service page or everything we do in Portland, Maine.
Tree Removal in nearby towns
- Tree Removal in South Portland
- Tree Removal in Falmouth
- Tree Removal in Westbrook
- Tree Removal in Scarborough
- Tree Removal in Cape Elizabeth
More services in Portland
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- Hydroseeding, Sod & Turf in Portland
- Lawn Aeration & Overseeding in Portland
- Fall Cleanup & Leaf Removal in Portland
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- Tree & Shrub Services in Portland
Sources for the local facts on this page
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Tree Removal in Portland? Let's talk.
Tell us about your property and we will walk it with you — free estimates, straight answers, stonework guaranteed to hold its lines.
Mon–Sat 7:00am – 5:00pm · Based in Cumberland, Maine