Cutting Back Trees Raises Ire in Rogers

ROGERS -- When Rita Pittman saw how severely her electric company had cut back one side of her favorite tree, she said she nearly cried.

"As a homeowner, it's devastating," Pittman said.

Branches on half of Pittman's tree were sheared back nearly to the trunk by Carroll Electric Cooperative workers last week, she said. On Wednesday afternoon, Pittman had two lawn chairs underneath her tree, but there was no shade.

"All you have is one half of a tree," Pittman said. "They went through the whole neighborhood and cut willy-nilly."

Pittman is among a handful of people who have complained to power companies or the city about tree-trimming practices. City officials have fielded one complaint about trees being trimmed, said Carey Anderson, assistant to the mayor.

Carroll Electric, like other electric companies, must trim trees where they have the potential to grow into power lines and cause power outages, said Nancy Plagge, company spokeswoman.

The cooperative serves about 90,000 people in Benton, Boone, Carroll, Madison, Pope and Washington counties, according to a March news release. The cooperative works with homeowners to ease concerns and talk about why they must trim, Plagge said.

"We take our vegetation management program very seriously," Plagge said. "It directly affects the reliability of our service."

John Bethel, executive director of the Arkansas Public Service Commission that regulates power companies, said clearances must be maintained. Power companies are responsible for providing reliable energy, he said. The state doesn't recommend a specific distance for how far to trim trees away from power line.

Carroll Electric keeps vegetation cleared within at least 10 feet of power lines, Plagge said. Sometimes more is trimmed depending on typography and how fast trees grow.

"It's a fine line to walk," Plagge said. "Yes, we make some people unhappy, but, yes, we make a lot of people happy because the power stays on."

Healthy Tree

Pittman's tree might not be pretty, but the severe pruning doesn't usually hurt trees, said Curt R. Rom, professor of horticulture at the University of Arkansas.

"It hurts us more than it hurts the trees," Rom said. "Even if it looks really ugly, it might not hurt the tree. It might take away the character of the tree, but it's not going to ruin the tree."

Across the street from Pittman, neighbors' trees looked like they had been cut nearly in half. The electric company "butchered" the trees, Pittman said.

"They do have to do this, so there isn't a potential for a bigger problem, like a tree falling on the line and causing an outage," Pittman said. "How they do it, is unforgivable."

Rom's own trees were pruned 10 feet to 12 feet away from electrical wires, he said. Rom was left with unattractive trees, but the trees, themselves, remain healthy, he said.

Lopsided trees don't cause a safety issue because trees have extensive root systems, Rom said. They aren't likely to fall. Correctly trimmed trees aren't likely to become bug infested or develop illnesses, he said. Properly trimmed trees can become healthier trees.

Poor trimming techniques, though, can lead to weaker trees. A Bradford pear improperly pruned can become more likely to break this winter than if the tree wasn't trimmed at all, Rom said.

Rom said he couldn't say whether the trees in Rogers were trimmed properly without inspecting each tree and each branch. Pruned trees don't have to look pretty to be pruned well, he said. He said it's best to have an arborist trim the trees.

Carroll Electric employs eight arborists in its Bentonville district office, Plagge said. System wide, the co-op has 16 arborists on staff, she said. Other power companies use arborists or forestry experts, Bethel said. Southwestern Electric Power Company, for example, uses forestry experts to plan tree trimming and oversee the process, said Peter Main, company spokesman.

Arborists aren't required by the state commission, Bethel said.

There would be less need to trim trees if people would watch where they plant them, Main and others said. Homeowners often plant trees too close to power lines, Main said. Years later, people are faced with the fact their tree must be severely trimmed so power stays reliable, he said.

Power companies trim thousands of miles of trees because tree-related events are the top cause of outages, Plagge said. The cooperative maintains 9,380 miles of power lines, and trims trees or removes vegetation along about 1,200 miles each year, she said.

That effort keeps power on, Rom said. During a major ice storm in 2009, Rom was without power for about 11 days, he said.

"(Companies) are out there being very proactive this year, and of course, everyone is mad at them," Rom said.

Few Complaints, Increased Services

A power company crew trimmed more trees in the Cambridge Park subdivision Wednesday, about a block away from Pittman. A pine tree was bare on one side. Pine trees don't regrow like other trees, Rom said.

Carroll Electric trims trees year round to keep up with growth, Plagge said. Trees are trimmed about every seven years, she said.

The effort is paying off, she said. Since 2008, the cooperative has reduced outage incidents by 55 percent, she said.

"We just try to do our job," Plagge said. "We're good at providing reliable service."

Bethel said power companies are mandated to keep lines clear, but just how severely a tree should be pruned is based on a number of factors, including movement of limbs, type of wires, sagging of lines because of weather and movement of the wires in the wind. Large trees should be planted at least 40 feet from power lines, Main said.

There's no set requirement for how much clearance between tree limbs and wires should be maintained, Bethel said. The National Electrical Safety Code says "conductor clearances are not specified."

Main said his company trims trees back at least 10 feet from the lines.

Few homeowners complain about the trimming of their trees, Plagge and Main said. Sometimes homeowners thank Carroll Electric for trimming the tree or removing it, Plagge said.

Bethel's commission has fielded few complaints against companies on trimming trees, he said. Complaints specifically against Carroll Electric are about the same as other electric companies and cooperatives in Arkansas, according to a 2012 report by the commission.

Pittman complained to Carroll Electric, which sent representatives out, Pittman said. They told her the company is within its right to cut her tree, even though she said her tree is trimmed back more than 10 feet. Ten feet is the amount Plagge said the crew was supposed to cut Pittman's tree.

Plagge said the company plans to reach out again to Pittman, but Pittman said she wasn't hopeful. She has heard from other residents with trees severely pruned by power companies. She feels upset about losing a huge section of her tree.

"We don't have enough trees as it is," Pittman said, looking at her tree. "It's heartbreaking."