The electric company "pruning" trees - I can't believe this!

My poor neighbor just got her beautiful oak tree murdered. They cut every branch that extended toward the street, all the way back to the trunk. Left a few at the top, it is hideous, and probably dangerous as it is now unbalanced. Is there anything that can be done? Do we have any choice in the matter? The tree is at least 20 feet away from the lines...they didn't take off part of the branches...they took the whole branch! How can they be allowed to do this???

I am so worried about my beautiful sycamores, they are ancient, you can see them from blocks away and have lines that run right through them. They USED to trim as little as possible...what is going on?

Perhaps you can have a talk with them. The powers that be are often far away nowadays...mine are in Virginia now. Still the workers are local and have some discretion about trimming.

We had a terrible ice storm winter before last and overhanging limbs are a lot of the problem. So I wish more people were dilligent about not planting trees close at all near power lines.

Been there- done that...we tried talking to them - asking that they not lop them off at the tree, but half way up the limb so they didn't look so totally stupid - NO was the answer. They totally sheered off three of our trees. DH asked if they would trim up the bottom branches on the other side and they refused. They look absolutely hideous. I see no reason for this at ALL!!

In the little town by us they went down Main Street and literally cut a V in each tree. Not only do they look stupid, it looks like they will split down the middle. I certainly understand the need to keep the wires away from the limbs, but these people are stupid....

We formed a beautification committee last fall, we are going to plant hundreds of trees this fall...what is the use? This tree's limbs were not even hitting the wires! There must be something that can be done...is there any organization anyone knows of who can give advice on how to fight this?

Last year I discovered our utility company was trimming trees when I heard water running through my pipes and started looking around to figure out where the water was on (I was home alone, the washer and dishwasher weren't on....)

I looked out to see a guy standing IN MY FLOWER BED, using my hose. I was startled, then pretty peeved.

But no we don't have a choice, either. If the trees are close to power lines, they have the right to trim them. They will remove the tree and grind out the stump if you prefer, and provide you with a decent-sized replacement tree from their list of approved trees. Which can be an attractive option if you don't like your current tree or their trimming of it will result in an unsightly, deformed tree.

I was able to ask my power company for "directional trimming" so they only took the center out of the oaks and now when they return to trim every two years they only remove the new growth. However they do have the right away, I found that I got better trimming when I was sweet as honey and didn't have a fit.
One area of my town had trees trimmed as you described, and the owners took photos to the city consul and they did the interaction w/the power company.

our village took down a beautiful healthy crabapple that had just finished blooming. Across the street, our neighbor's tree split and broke and she hated her tree - so they take ours which we loved and leave hers!?

they have spent a few days grinding everything to dust and now we have a big mess. They said they had a lot of complaints about the crabapples so they are planting some that don't make such a mess.

Which means a totally different tree - white not pink blossoms - and a different flowering time... and a baby tree in place of an adult tree that is probably 40 years old or better.

::sigh::

they acted like I was stupid for asking about it and the guy kept saying, "it's our tree"

what a disappointment.

Here they spray a small red dot on the trees to be trimmed and you are allowed to trim it yourself or they will do it later. According to my neighbor, there was one time they must've done some trimming on a diseased tree, because a bunch of trees in the area got identical symptoms after being trimmed and all died on one street (not ours). So she recommended trimming our trees ourselves when they put the dots on.

In a small town that is close to me...they went along the main street...and cut down...EVERY tree!!!! Now...I don't know why they did this..haven't found out yet. But...these were beautiful big OLD trees...shaded the street..and were beautiful. Now it looks like a tornado went through there. How sad.

Near me a town took down all the pear trees that were in the quaint "downtown". The landscaper said the trees were 3 or 4 years past their life expectancy, so down they went...

I contacted my towns' beautification committe by email last night. So far, nobody has responded to me. Now I'm probably thought of as a nut!

The Sierra Club said to contact the Public Utility Commission...

My sister and her DH bought some property last fall along a highway leading to the coast. They had evergreens lining their property by the road. It was great barrier between them and the road.

Well, just a few months ago the power company came and "topped" their trees. They only thing is, they took more than half the tree! The trees look really silly now. They are on my sister's property, but the power company took all the wood too. My sister and her DH have a woodstove they used a lot this winter......why did the power company feel they could take all the wood????

they do that here, too...they make it into mulch. I guess they sell it. It's their "payment" for chopping down the trees for us.

Our electric company hires a local 'tree service' to trim the trees, and just like yours, they do so hideously!!!!

I understand the need to trim the trees that touch lines, but don't understand why they butcher them.

One tree looked so ridiculous after being trimmed, that the owner lopped off the entire top.....and this was a BIG, OLD tree growing out in the country, adjacent to a county road.