Re: Trees and Power Lines

Nightowlz · ‎03-11-2010

I'm so glad we don't have power lines running above in our housing area. They are in the ground.

The wires running up & down the main street where we go out of the addition are all on massive silver poles. Not sure what they are made from?

Those poles used to be wood like the others but they replaced them all since every time a storm rolled in those brown wood poles snapped like twigs.

Generally the only problems we have now is during freezing rain or sleet that can cause the power to go out.

The City has trees cut back away from the power lines on their easements but it's hard to keep up with all of them. The trees look horrible when they do that.

If homeowners would keep trees on their property cut back they wouldn't have to worry about them going down during a storm which knocks the power lines down if the trees hit it.

People plant trees that are way too large for their property. When it storms eventually they will have a tree in their house? We took care of ours before that could happen.

We also had to pay to have 2 of the neighbors trees cut back so they were not hanging over our roof. Since we paid to have that done both of those trees have died. LOL!!!

Desert Lily · ‎06-24-2011

@Nightowlz I agree about trees that could fall on the house in a storm. You're right; it doesn't make sense to plant a huge tree that will tower over the house. I'm glad you got the trees taken care of b4 anything happened.

bikerbabe · ‎03-09-2010

The cost to change to all underground is billions of dollars. Seriously. We are above ground here also.

Where I live, which is inside city limits, they will come out and trim tree branches away from electric lines - but you have to call it in. They won’t trim branches from phone or cable lines. Electric only.

Nightowlz · ‎03-11-2010

@Desert Lily wrote:
@Nightowlz I agree about trees that could fall on the house in a storm. You're right; it doesn't make sense to plant a huge tree that will tower over the house. I'm glad you got the trees taken care of b4 anything happened.

@Desert Lily

There are huge trees around most houses unless they are new. I don't understand why people don't deal with them before they end up in their house?

State Farm told us if his trees fell through the roof during a storm our Insurance would cover the damage? Doesn't seem right our insurance pays while his doesn't. Why should we get stuck with higher premiums for that?

We decided to pay to have them cut back instead of our insurance going up when it happened. Plus we didn't want to deal with our roof & or other home repairs due to damage from his trees.

Part of the one tree had already came off during a storm that took down our outdoor antenna. We have since replaced it with one we installed in the back of the house.

SilleeMee · ‎05-22-2016

Around here arborists charge hefty fees to trim trees. Most people don't want (or can't afford) to pay for that. Rather wait for an insurance claim and go that route instead.

Twenty years ago I paid $1500 to cut down a 20-foot tall maple. What would that cost me today?!

Krimpette · ‎03-09-2010

My neighborhood was built in 1984. All our power lines are under ground. However, we are in the midst of older neighborhoods with above ground power. However, a few years ago, our power company came through the older neighborhood and did some very judicious pruning of the many trees. Not to way we don't still have an occasional power......if some driver plows into a power pole!

Jk9 · ‎07-18-2013

I live in a horse country rural area with a lot of big horse farms and some big vacant pastures and wooded areas too. And there are big streams and creeks around, too. It's not like living in a newer housing development where you can run lines to a lot of dwellings in a short distance. The state and county trim the trees around the roads and power lines here. There are housing developments being built here now and I don't see power poles there, but there are poles to get utilities to those developments.

If my dog doesn't like you, neither do I.

RedTop · ‎09-01-2010

I live in a rural location in southern WV; am surrounded by mountains on all sides and a gazillion trees. The way it works here with trees and power lines is; when it breaks, they fix it.

There is NO way to have underground power lines in this neighborhood. Right of way crews come thru every few years and cut/trim/spray the 15 foot strip under the power lines. All rural back roads are lined with trees with branches hanging over the road in some locations. When the state gets enough complaints, a crew is sent out to trim those branches. The tree itself can be leaning towards the road and the only thing that will be done is trim the branches. Nothing will be done to the tree until it falls in the road.

I realize the state doesn't have the money to pay a road crew just to keep trees trimmed around the county, but a bit more roadside maintenance would surely be beneficial in the long run.

Desert Lily · ‎06-24-2011

I think electric companies could update how power is delivered to homes, but they don't do it. If they added all the costs of labor & materials that they wasted for numerous decades, they could've put that $ toward upgrading. It doesn't have to go underground if it's difficult in an area; they could switch over to the very tall metal towers if it's easier. Companies make the choice of being penny-wise & dollar foolish or perhaps being greedy, while customers keep losing power that they depend on.

The towers are more substantial & reliable. When I lived on the west coast, some nearby developments had towers. My development there had underground electricity wires, and that's what I have in PA.

Branches might get trimmed, but branches also grow. Wires among the trees seems as backward as some of our transportation infrastructure, like no high-speed railways & deteriorating bridges.