Tree trimming by Utility Companies

[Mac McQuinn]

The area I live in has been recently informed by the Utilities company which provides electricity, our trees will be trimmed or cut down to maintain clearance for the power lines. Do we have any legal standpoint to make sure our trees are left in a condition as to not adversely affect our property value or future tree structure integrity? Any views on this or does anyone has the legal statutes concerning this?

Thanks, Mac

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I suspect they have the legal right to do it.

They do it here regularly.

[Joe Pelonio]

check your deed, most likely there's a utility easement 10' or more back from the property line which allows them to cut or remove anything they want that interferes with their operation. Since the workers doing this are not certified arborists it may be that you can make an arrangement, as my Mom did in her area, to have it done by the company of your choice before they came through.

[Jim Becker]

They can do what they do and there's not much you can do about it...

I'm hoping they actually come back and take down the tree at the end of one driveway that they said was going to come down last year.

[Andrew Arndts]

Yes they have a legitimate right to remove trees if they're a risk to cause damage to power lines.

[Pat Keefe]

Over in Australia, the utility companies have the legal right to remove/trim any trees planted under the overhead wires and to direct the home owner to trim/remove foliage from overhead connection wires. This is done to ease the risk of interruptions to supply. Asthetics and property values are not considered.

The real problem is the local councils or homeowners planting inappropriate trees under and near the lines, ie plant only shrubs that grow 9' tall and keep the base of the poles and any other infrastructure clear of gardens/plantings.

[Mike Cutler]

Mac

You have rights, you just need to check with your state. Also a call to the Utilities company can provide you with the clearance requirements. It's not as simple as just the ability of a tree to contact a power line, or there wouldn't be any trees within ~ 60 feet of any power line.
The limbs that we go after are primarily the ones that overhang the power lines and can drop straight down into them, Trees/limbs that are leaning, or are diseased, toward the power lines are candidates also.
Rarely will the utility cut down an entire tree on a residential property. It's the limbs that are the biggest threat. You can however have a tree in your yard "condemned", and be forced to have it removed at your expense.
Find out when the line crews will be in your area and make plans to talk with them, They're human too and own their own properties. They're not bad guys. A nice polite conversation will yield positive results.

It's necessary to trim the limbs. It really is.

[Dan Hintz]

If it hasn't been checked in a while, I've seen wholesale cutting of entire sides of trees. Looks really odd to see a full-grown tree from one side and a lopsided monstrosity from the other because the company cut straight down the side.

[Chris Damm]

Consumers Power came through here and really butchered the pine tress that lined the front of my property. They topped them off about 18' up and I cut the rest down. They were in the right of way so they had to go. In the years since they did this in our area we have had a whole lot less power failures from falling branches so I guess it was worth it!

[Bonnie Campbell]

As Mike said, have a face to face chat with the trimmers. They can be reasonable.

In Natchez it had been a continuous conflict. People didn't think THEIR trees were a problem. Yeah, some trees were butchered and it might of been best if totally removed. I can say I was delighted seeing major trimming going on though. Try losing your power when someone in the house is on oxygen, it's NOT a good thing.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

My area has underground utilities, and they STILL come and trim trees - except it's the town (not the power company) and they do it if they are too close to the street lights. The problem I have is that these guys are total hacks - they butchered a tree that was a good 20' away from a street light - and of course they took half it off - and they didn't touch the one that was almost right next to it.

It might be a good idea to try to 'meet' them when they're out, and see if you can make suggestions on what and what not to cut.

[Brian Elfert]

The electric company here uses a tree trimming company, but I don't think the tree trimming company actually has any arborists. Instead they hire any idiot who can run a chain saw. They give zero consideration to leaving the tree looking decent. They just hack off any branch they think could cause issues with the power lines.

I had a branch that fell on the power lines this summer. It took me a half a dozen calls and two weeks before they sent someone out to remove the branch. The lines were insulated so the power wasn't out, but I didn't want a storm to cause the lines to break under the strain of the branch.

[Jim O'Dell]

It goes on here too. No say so. In fact, recently over in Dallas, one lady sat in her driveway with a shotgun, IIRC. Now that's NOT the way to do it!!! But this brings up a whole 'nuther question....Why do we plant trees under the power lines??? I doubt that the electric company came in and set poles and stretched line over existing trees. Does it have something to do with property lines and "I want to make sure my neighbor knows where his property ends"? Even on the less than residential streets here, there are trees lining the hwy under the power lines. The power company trimmers come in and cut a "V" out of the middle of them. Looks really strange.
But anyway, that's why there is an easement at property lines so that they have the legal right to do what needs to be done. Jim.

[Brian Elfert]

None of the trees around my neighborhood are directly under power lines. The problem is that many trees are 75+ years old and they have grown to tremendous size and overhang power lines. One tree in my front yard has a 5 foot diameter trunk. Luckily, that tree is tall enough not to endanger power lines.

My power line to my house actually runs through the middle of my backyard. There was a an alley or an alley easement that was abandoned by the city 50 or 60 years ago. You would never know there was an alley other than the power lines. I replaced the existing condemned house with a new one in 2001. The power company ran my service underground to a pole in my backyard.

[Stephen Tashiro]

An interesting question is whether "the utility company" only means the power company. Often the same poles that have the power lines also have the lines from your local phone company monopoly and your local cable company monopoly.