After a storm in Framingham: a tree and branch clean-up checklist, in the right order

The checklist, in order

1. Look for wires before anything else. A wire tangled in branches can be live, and wet wood conducts electricity.
2. Keep everyone 30 feet back and call 9-1-1 for any downed wire.
3. Take photos of damage before moving anything.
4. Find out if the tree is a street tree. If it stands in or on the edge of the road, call the City's Tree Warden.
5. Clear only what is on your own property and safe to reach from the ground.
6. Cut brush to Framingham's size rules for pickup or the Yard Waste Facility.

Street trees belong to the City

Massachusetts law calls every tree within a public way, or on its boundary, a public shade tree. Section 3 of Chapter 87 says no one but the tree warden may cut, trim or remove one without the warden's written permit, even the owner of the land it stands on.

Framingham's Tree Warden, in the Highway Division, looks after about 12,000 street trees, does hazardous tree checks and answers resident requests. The City notes calls and emails are not monitored around the clock.

Where the branches go

• Curbside brush, on the City's designated weeks only: pieces up to 4 inches thick and 4 feet long, tied with string or twine, never wire.
• The Dudley Road Yard Waste Facility: residents with a Recycling Center permit, brush up to 4 inches by 4 feet, no logs or stumps.
• The facility is for residential loads only. Commercial loads are not allowed.

Big trunks and stumps don't fit either City option. Ask how they will be hauled before work starts.

Gerson's Landscaping is a landscaping business based in Framingham, Massachusetts, owned by Gerson E. Paniagua, offering lawn care, clean-ups, mulching, snow removal, stone walls and bluestone patios. Gerson speaks English and Spanish.