Professional forestry mulching services in Kittery, Maine

Serving Kittery, Maine

Forestry Mulching in Kittery, Maine

Brush, lot and trail clearing from Kittery Foreside to Kittery Point and Gerrish Island, planned around the town's shoreland and dune rules.

Veteran Owned

Erosion-Control Focused

Fully Insured

Clearing Land in Kittery

Kittery is a tidewater town. Spruce Creek reaches deep into it: 90% of the creek's 9.5-square-mile watershed is in Kittery, about 3 square miles of that watershed is tidal salt marsh, ledge and mud flat, and the estuary empties into the Piscataqua River. Kittery Foreside, Badgers Island and Kittery Point are among its neighborhoods. On the outer coast, the Maine Geological Survey has mapped sand dunes at Seapoint Beach and around Gerrish Island, and part of the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge lies in town.

With this much marsh and shoreline, the jobs that fit forestry mulching are careful ones: thinning brush on a wooded lot, reclaiming an overgrown yard, opening a walking trail, or cutting back invasive shrubs. A single machine cuts and grinds, and the chips stay where they fall as ground cover.

The Rules Where You Live

Kittery's shoreland rules are in Chapter 16.9 of the town code. The Shoreland Overlay Zone reaches 250 feet from water bodies and wetlands, and 75 feet along streams. Salt marsh and tidal flats count as coastal wetland under state law, so distances run from the marsh's upland edge. Clearing in these zones, other than timber harvesting, goes to the Code Enforcement Officer for review and approval.

Within 100 feet of the water or a marsh's upland edge, the code is strict, and two of its clauses read differently. One prohibits cutting in that strip in the Resource Protection and Shoreland Overlay zones, except to remove safety hazards. The other sets these limits on selective cutting in the Shoreland Overlay Zone:

No canopy opening over 250 square feet. A winding footpath to the shore can be up to six feet wide if it doesn't open a line of sight to the water.
No more than 40% of the volume of trees 4 inches and up removed in any ten years. Plants under three feet, leaf litter and duff stay, except for a footpath or other permitted uses.
Outside the Commercial Fisheries/Maritime Uses zone, cleared openings of every kind (house, driveway, lawn, septic area) are capped at 25% of the lot area in the overlay zone or 10,000 square feet, whichever is greater.

Sand dunes

The Maine Geological Survey has mapped coastal sand dune systems at Seapoint Beach and on parts of Gerrish Island, Fort Foster among them. In a dune system, Maine DEP says vegetation removal takes a DEP permit and is generally not permitted.

Before any work near the water, the marsh or the dunes, we confirm with the town what applies to your lot, including which of those two clauses it applies. This is general information, not legal advice.

Who to Call in Kittery

Kittery Code Enforcement(opens in a new tab)
Permits for vegetation removal in the shoreland and resource protection overlay zones
kitteryme.gov
Kittery Town Code, Chapter 16.9(opens in a new tab)
Shoreland clearing standards, § 16.9.4D(7)
ecode360.com
Maine Geological Survey dune maps(opens in a new tab)
Seapoint Beach and Gerrish Island
digitalmaine.com

Kittery Questions

Do I need a permit to clear brush near the water in Kittery?

Inside the shoreland, stream protection or resource protection overlay zones, plan on it. Kittery's code sends clearing (other than timber harvesting) in those zones to the Code Enforcement Officer for review and approval, and that office issues the permits for vegetation removal. We confirm with the town what applies before work near water.

I'm on Spruce Creek. Can I open up a view of the water?

Not with a cleared view lane. Spruce Creek's tidal salt marsh counts as coastal wetland, so Kittery's 100-foot strip runs from its upland edge. One clause of the town code prohibits cutting in that strip in the Resource Protection and Shoreland Overlay zones except to remove safety hazards. Another allows only limited selective cutting, with a footpath no wider than six feet and no cleared line of sight to the water. Ask the Code Enforcement Officer which applies before planning anything. We don't clear-cut shorelines.

My house is near Seapoint Beach or on Gerrish Island. Are there extra rules?

There can be. The Maine Geological Survey has mapped coastal sand dune systems at Seapoint Beach and around Gerrish Island, including Fort Foster. Removing vegetation in a dune system takes a Maine DEP permit and is generally not permitted, and Kittery's shoreland rules can apply too. We look at the dune maps for your lot before we quote.

How We Work

One machine, no hauling. The mulcher grinds brush and small trees into mulch that stays on site as ground cover.
Erosion control planned in. Near water and on slopes, we plan around Maine's erosion and sedimentation control practices and confirm the local rules before work begins.
A remote-controlled mulcher for steep slopes and sensitive spots, so the operator can work from a distance.

Kittery Forestry Mulching Pricing

Most residential Kittery projects fall between $2,000 and $3,000. Every lot is different, so the final cost comes down to how much you're clearing, the type of growth, the slope, and how close the work is to your house or the water.

Lighter jobs run less, bigger or tougher ones run more. Quotes are always free with no hidden fees, and you'll have the exact number before we start.