Professional forestry mulching services in Sebago, Maine

Serving Sebago, Maine

Forestry Mulching in Sebago, Maine

Clearing wooded lots, trails and shorefront brush from North Sebago and East Sebago to the slopes of Douglas Mountain.

Veteran Owned

Erosion-Control Focused

Fully Insured

Clearing Land in Sebago

Sebago is a wooded town on the big lake that shares its name. Sebago Lake forms its eastern border, with about 7 miles of shoreline, and the town's comprehensive plan describes about 90% of Sebago as forested. The biggest clusters of year-round homes are in North Sebago and East Sebago, and Sebago Center sits in the middle of town. Douglas Mountain, the town's highest point, rises along its southern boundary and extends into Baldwin. Sebago also shares Peabody Pond, Hancock Pond, Southeast Pond and Barker Pond with neighboring towns.

With this much forest, and a landscape the town describes as lakes and ridges, the jobs that suit forestry mulching are opening a wooded lot for a home or camp, cutting a trail, and clearing understory brush. On steep ground, our remote-controlled mulcher lets the operator work from a distance. Brush and small trees are ground up in place and left as mulch, so there's no brush to haul off.

The Rules Where You Live

Sebago's shoreland zone covers land within 250 feet of great ponds, rivers and freshwater wetlands, and within 75 feet of streams. The town asks anyone starting a project in that zone to contact the Code Enforcement Office first, to avoid penalties, and it has a Shoreland Tree Removal Permit application. Near the water, the ordinance sets these clearing limits:

A buffer of 100 feet along great ponds and the rivers that flow into them, and 75 feet along other waters, with no canopy opening over 250 square feet.
Inside that buffer, no more than 40% of the volume of trees 4 inches and up can come out in any ten years, and low plants under three feet and other ground cover, leaf litter included, can't be cut, covered or removed.
Across the shoreland part of a lot, all cleared openings together can't exceed 25% of that area or 10,000 square feet, whichever is greater.

A drinking water lake

The lake on Sebago's eastern edge is the drinking water supply for nearly a sixth of Maine's population. Because of its exceptional water quality and the Portland Water District's watershed protection, the district has a waiver to use it without filtering. Shorefront owners can ask the district's Lakescaping program for a free consultation, and matching grants of up to $1,500 are available.

Rules change and every lot is different, so we confirm with the town what applies before work near water. This is general information, not legal advice.

Who to Call in Sebago

Sebago Code Enforcement & Planning(opens in a new tab)
406 Bridgton Road, (207) 787-2457
townofsebago.org
Sebago permit applications(opens in a new tab)
Shoreland zoning and shoreland tree removal permit forms
townofsebago.org
Sebago Shoreland Zoning Ordinance, Section 15(opens in a new tab)
Clearing standards near the water
townofsebago.org
Portland Water District Lakescaping(opens in a new tab)
Free consultations and matching grants up to $1,500 for owners on Sebago Lake
pwd.org

Sebago Questions

Do I need a permit to cut trees near the water in Sebago?

Check with the Code Enforcement Office before any cutting. The town asks anyone starting a project within 250 feet of a lake, great pond, river or wetland to contact that office first, to avoid penalties, and it keeps a Shoreland Tree Removal Permit application on its permits page.

Can you open up a view of Sebago Lake from my camp?

Only within the buffer rules. Along the lake, Sebago keeps a 100-foot buffer where no canopy opening can top 250 square feet and no more than 40% of the volume of trees 4 inches and up can come out in ten years. Low plants and leaf litter stay. Selective thinning inside those limits, checked with the code office first, is the way to do it. We don't clear-cut shorelines.

My land is wooded and well back from the water. What applies?

Beyond the shoreland zone, the shoreland clearing limits don't apply. The rest of town falls under Sebago's Land Use Ordinance, so a quick check with the Code Enforcement Office is still worth it. Wooded land like this is a good fit for forestry mulching, whether you're opening a house site, cutting a trail or clearing understory brush.

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.

Sebago Forestry Mulching Pricing

Most residential Sebago 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.