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Are there any Utility Workers here?

Started by maestro, September 25, 2008, 04:13:52 PM

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maestro

I need to ask some questions about power company "trimming" practices being done and I don't want to fire off without talking to some of you who work in the field.  All I'll say at the moment is I'm seeing some serious butcher jobs being done by power company SUB CONTRACTORS and would like to discuss this.  Thanks!
For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver.  Martin Luther

Ron Wenrich

So, what are you seeing?  I've done a little work with the utilities by doing some vegetation studies under their power lines.   They have to keep the lines clear or you'll have blinking lights every time the wind blows.

There are a couple of ways of trimming those trees.  A lot depends on the species and size on how well they respond to the trimming.  I always have mine drop crotch cut.  That helps preserve some of the side branches. 

They've been doing it to my elm, but that gets a ton of sucker sprouts and just doesn't look that good.  It seems to work better on trees like maple or sycamore where they don't get all those whips after being trimmed. 
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

beenthere

How about some pics of what you call "butcher" jobs.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Larry

As a retired telephone company manager that paid for line clearance work...it was always the low bidder that got the work.  The power company used the same contractors.  I called there work "hack and slash".  No thought given to proper pruning techniques.  Branch collar was a foreign term for most of them.  It was surprising that we had almost no complaints if the contractor picked up all the debris.
Larry, making useful and beautiful things out of the most environmental friendly material on the planet.

We need to insure our customers understand the importance of our craft.

maestro

Hey Ron, now keep in mind I do like having the lights on but some of the work I've been seeing over the last 2 days has been unreal.  Tons of "L" shaped gouges out of trees and the thing that really blew my mind was a tree that had 3 lower branches on it but ALL of the rest of the tree was gone.  Ground, trunk, 3 branches at the same height and then nothing.  It was obviously a power line trim job but why wouldn't they just take the whole thing out?  There was nothing left anyway!  I've seen them doing partial topping jobs (only one side of the tree) and leaving flat surfaces.  As an arborist in training (taking the test 3/17) I know that alot of these practices are wrong. As a home owner, I'd be really upset if it was my property they were destroying.  I'm afraid to go in my back yard tonight.  It just seems to me that there should be more care taken and more attention spent on regular maintenance of the lines (like they USED to do) instead of blaming all of the power problems on trees.  Dozens of tree crews are swarming all over St. Louis city and county trimming everything they can find near power lines but not doing anything about the obvious problems at the same time.  Some trees need to be taken down but are being left standing but "trimmed".  One good storm and the rest of the tree is going to take out the lines anyway.  If I can see the problems and am still a student, why can't the folks who are doing the jobs...who are supposed to be the pros? Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with my chain saw and respect everyone who does quality work, no matter what the job.  There just doesn't seem to be any quality control and the advertising that the power company is using on all the radio stations telling how much time and money they are pumping into the problem, it's all just anti-tree and blame the home owner for planting in the first place.   

I'm bringing my camera tomorrow and will post some pics asap. 
For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver.  Martin Luther

cheyenne

Unless people go after them in court it will never change. I tried being nice, It got me nowheres. So I sued, Now they want to talk & shut me up. Get all your neighbors  together & go after them. Bear in mind they do have certain deeded rights but they always exceed them because nobody will take the time or spend the money to make them do it right......Cheyenne
Home of the white buffalo

mike_van

I was the smartest 16 year old I ever knew.

Ron Wenrich

When I talked to the utility foresters, they told me that the reason trees were left is because the landowner didn't want them cut.  Bottom line for these foresters was that they would have preferred to cut down the tree, but the landowner refused.  Quite often they come back and find that someone had planted trees right under the utility line.  I've seen pines that were completely topped off, but the landowner didn't want them cut.  Looked really bad.

I've had the utility trimmers in here 6 times.  3 times for the line to the house, and 3 times for the 350 kva line in my field.  Each time the trees were trimmed as I expected.  I did have some problems in the field as they did try to give me a line of bull.  Having the experience allowed us to discuss things at a different level, after they knew they couldn't give me a line.  Never did they use any spray, and the last time they brush hogged my field and left me a few cedar sawlogs.

When I was working with the utilities, I spent each day with a utility forester.  I was offered a job as one, but had heard enough landowner stories to chase me back to the sawmill.   :D
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

ely

i am sure the problem you are seeing there is a result of some guy they hired to run a chain saw, not a professional by any scope of the word.
the tree service around here in rural okla. is very different from the tree service that i used to work around while in tulsa.
seems the hoity toity folks in the big cities demand a different level of quality than others.

the tree service around here are predominatly ,how do we say, mexican americans. who are most likely credentially challeneged. both with visas and in the work that they do.

i am certain of the fact that there is a spec sheet in a book that tells the worker exactly how to cut the trees that are encroaching on the powerlines. by law they do have to obide by those specs. not all do. but like it has been said sometimes you must force their hand in court to make the companies walk the line.
i have at one time seen the specs for tree triming for both REA and for PSO. basically they were so close the average person would not know the differences.

sounds to me like your trim job is obviously wrong.
if you ask the folks that you are dealing with they should provide you a set of spec sheets.

also as a land owner you do have the final say in what gets done on your land,to an extent.
we have transmission power lines where i work now, and we deal with landowners on a daily basis. some good some bad. one fellow will not allow us to cut a tree that is growing under the line. it is a pecan tree that was paid for many years ago but never taken out due to oversite. it is such a stink that now the tree will be taken down or the individual hampering the work will be financially liable when it trips the line out, as per the judge.

easymoney

just up the road from me there are a bunch of pine trees that a heighbor planted along the road almost directly under the power lines. his house sits well back from the road. there is an open field on the side away from the road. i bet he will raise cain if they are trimmed to keep them out of the lines. also he will be the first to holler if a storm takes them down and his power is out. ::) why cant people realize that it is not good to plant fast growing trees under power lines?

Tom

'Cause.........  they are stupid.  :D

timberfaller390

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cheyenne

Tom is right stupid is as stupid does......Cheyenne
Home of the white buffalo

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