FALMOUTH — Over the last decade, Falmouth has expanded an extensive portfolio of public land, with thousands of acres of property and close to 50 miles of trails. But increased public access to land has led to conflicts among off-leash dogs, people and wildlife.

“The problems with pets are piling up and can no longer be ignored,” the town’s land management and acquisitions committee noted in its 2015 annual report.

Now, the town is considering a leash requirement near trail entrances and a ban on pets in some areas.

Recommended changes to the town’s pet rules are still being refined and residents will have a chance to weigh in at a public forum later this month. The Town Council could consider new rules as early as this fall, according to committee chairman Ted Asherman. The proposed rules are expected to strike a compromise between pet owners and other users, he said.

“It is trying to seek a balance of pets on trails and open spaces in town,” Asherman said. If enacted, the rules would apply only to town land, not parcels owned by private groups like the Falmouth Land Trust.

The land trust might consider similar rules for consistency, said Asherman, who sits on the board of trustees. Maine Audubon does not allow pets on the trails at its Falmouth headquarters and dogs have to be leashed on Mackworth Island, a state park.

The committee held a forum about pets on public lands in January to get public input about possible restrictions and based the rules on the feedback it received.

It hasn’t finalized its recommendations, but the committee is leaning toward requiring that dogs be on kept on leash within 300 feet of a parking lot or a trail head, where most interaction between dogs and people occurs, according to Lucky D’Ascanio, director of parks and community programs.

Some areas in Falmouth that are considered important for wildlife, such as the River Point Conservation Area, could be closed to dogs permanently or seasonally, D’Ascanio said. Recruiting volunteers to monitor the town’s dog ordinances is also under consideration, but park staff needs to consult with the police department before making a firm recommendation, she said.

John Moon, who was walking his dog Buddy, a Lhasa apso, at the Pine Grove Preserve on Friday morning, said he didn’t have any problem with the proposed rules, as long as he could still take his dog to the preserve. He always keeps Buddy on a leash, but doesn’t have any problem with well-behaved dogs that aren’t leashed, Moon said. He goes to Pine Grove every morning and had a problem only once, when an off-leash dog attacked Buddy, he said.

“I am absolutely 100 percent in favor of allowing dogs to walk here,” Moon said.

“People have got to remember dogs are an important part of life, especially for dog owners,” he said. “They have rights, too. They need a place to go.”

Other dog owners interviewed on Falmouth trails said they were not opposed to new rules for pets, but they declined to speak on the record.

Communities in the Portland area have grappled with pets on public land in recent years, sometimes with explosive results. In Scarborough, a tougher leash law was enacted after a dog killed an endangered piping plover on Pine Point Beach in 2013, sparking a political battle with dog owners that roiled the town until a compromise was brokered in 2014. Saco residents fought back against a proposed dog ban on beaches in 2012, and Portland considered requiring leashes in Baxter Woods two years ago after complaints about dogs.

Falmouth requires dogs to be on-leash during scheduled activities or events and dogs are not allowed in designated child play areas. Dogs are permitted off-leash on trails and other designated areas as long as they are under voice command. Dogs are not allowed to disturb or harass people on public lands, owners are required to dispose of their animal’s feces, and are responsible for any damage caused to public property by their animal.

Falmouth’s pet rules are loose compared to some of its neighbors. In 2014, Cumberland made special rules for when and where dogs are allowed at Twin Brook recreation area, and parts of Yarmouth such as Sandy Point Beach and Royal River Park have specific policies for dogs.

Land management committee ombudsman Bob Shafto said the proposed restrictions are in response to concerns about people being jumped on, bitten and frightened by dogs running off leash.

The town has also struggled with making sure people clean up after their pets, or leave dog waste in plastic bags at trail heads and parking lots. Dogs have been allowed to run loose in sensitive wildlife areas and harass birds, deer and rabbits, he said.

“We have a lot of responsible pet owners. It is the minority few who are always the problem,” Shafto said.

In surveys taken during the January public forum about the issue, a strong majority of residents agreed the town should have better signs and information about pet rules, offer plastic bags and trash bins for dog waste, improve communication and make different rules for specific properties.

But there were mixed opinions about requiring a leash 300 feet from a trail entrance or parking lot and strong disagreement with restricting how many dogs could be walked by one person.

The public forum on the proposed rules will be held at 6:30 p.m. on June 27 at the Lunt School auditorium.

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