Professional forestry mulching services in Lyman, Maine

Serving Lyman, Maine

Forestry Mulching in Lyman, Maine

Lot, trail and pond-side brush clearing from Goodwins Mills to Bunganut Pond and Kennebunk Pond, planned around Lyman's shoreland rules.

Veteran Owned

Erosion-Control Focused

Fully Insured

Clearing Land in Lyman

Lyman is pond country. Bunganut Pond covers 325 acres, Kennebunk Pond 199 and Swan Pond 132, and the town's shoreland ordinance also names Roberts, Wadleigh, Bartlett, Tarwater and Old Falls ponds. Besides the ponds, Lyman has the village of Goodwins Mills and part of the Massabesic Experimental Forest, which the USDA Forest Service uses for forest research and calls one of the largest blocks of public land in southern Maine.

Near the ponds, forestry mulching fits the careful jobs: thinning brush on a camp lot or knocking back invasive growth, within what the buffer rules allow. Farther from the shore, it fits opening up a wooded house lot or cutting trails. Either way it's one machine, and everything it grinds stays on site as mulch, with nothing to truck away.

The Rules Where You Live

Lyman has its own Shoreland Zoning Ordinance, amended through June 2021. It covers land within 250 feet of any great pond or river or the upland edge of a freshwater wetland, and within 75 feet of a stream. Clearing for anything other than timber harvesting takes a Code Enforcement Officer permit in the Resource Protection and Stream Protection districts. In the Limited Residential, Limited Commercial and General Development districts it needs no permit but still has to meet the standards:

A buffer of vegetation stays along the shore: 100 feet deep at great ponds and rivers that flow to them, 75 feet at other waters, tributary streams and wetlands.
In the buffer, canopy openings are capped at 250 square feet, tree removal at 40% of the volume of trees 4 inches and larger per ten years, and growth under three feet stays uncut.
Except in the General Development District, all cleared openings on a lot, for any purpose, are limited to 25% of its area in the shoreland zone or 10,000 square feet, whichever is greater.
In Resource Protection, no clearing is allowed within 75 feet of a great pond except to remove safety hazards.

Named ponds and a 100-foot setback

Lyman's ordinance sets a 100-foot minimum setback from the water for non-water-dependent structures and uses next to Roberts, Bartlett, Tarwater and Old Falls ponds and along designated stretches of shore on Kennebunk, Bunganut, Wadleigh and Swan ponds. If you're clearing a site for a new building near one of them, that line shapes the plan.

The town suggests contacting the Code Enforcement Office before doing anything in the shoreland zone, and we confirm with the town what applies before work near water. This is general information, not legal advice.

Who to Call in Lyman

Lyman Code Enforcement Office(opens in a new tab)
Shoreland questions and permits, 207-247-0647
lyman-me.gov
Lyman Shoreland Zoning Ordinance(opens in a new tab)
The full ordinance, amended through June 2021
lyman-me.gov
Lyman Shoreline Zoning Buffer Standards(opens in a new tab)
The town's summary of the buffer rules
lyman-me.gov

Lyman Questions

Do I need a permit to clear brush on my Bunganut Pond lot?

It depends on the district your lot is in, which the town's shoreland zoning map shows. In Resource Protection and Stream Protection, clearing needs a Code Enforcement Officer permit. In Limited Residential it doesn't, but the buffer limits still apply. And in Resource Protection, nothing can be cleared within 75 feet of a great pond except to remove safety hazards.

Can I open up a view of Kennebunk Pond or Swan Pond?

Some, if it's done by the numbers. Lyman's buffer reaches 100 feet back from great ponds, and inside it a canopy opening can't top 250 square feet, no more than 40% of the volume of trees 4 inches and up can come out in ten years, and growth under three feet stays. Thinning within those limits is the way to work toward a view. We don't clear-cut shorelines.

Does the state get involved in work near the water?

It can. Lyman's code office says to contact Maine DEP, at 207-822-6300, with questions about any ground disturbance or construction within 75 feet of a water body. That's in addition to the town's own shoreland rules. If your project is close to the water, make both calls before any clearing is planned.

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.

Lyman Forestry Mulching Pricing

Most residential Lyman 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.