Tree work rules in Maine

Anyone doing arborist work in Maine needs a landscape or utility arborist license, or both, from the Arborist Program of the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Getting one takes an exam and proof of insurance, and apprentices work under a licensee.^1-2

Maine's forest harvest rules don't preempt or limit a town's power to regulate timber harvesting. Towns can't adopt weaker standards than the state's.³

If a tree is touching the power line to your house, keep clear and call your utility first. Clearing the line is the utility's job, and a tree company can't start until it's done.

In Maine people, tools and equipment keep 10 feet from overhead lines. The line owner needs at least 72 hours' notice ahead of the work, not counting weekends and holidays.⁴

Maine's one-call law doesn't name stump or root removal; it covers earth moved below ground by power tools or equipment. Call 811 before a stump is ground or dug out, and the one-call center can say whether your job needs a locate.⁵

In Maine any pesticide use as a paid service needs a commercial license from the Board of Pesticides Control, and tree and shrub care is a listed example. The category is 3A, Outdoor Ornamentals.⁶