How is Duke Energy able to cut all the trees to the ground in my front yard? Some are still small from the last cutting! Duke Energy came by [recently] to “discuss” cutting down all the trees in my front yard “once again.”
About six years ago, my entire front yard of beautiful poplar trees was cut to the ground, though I pleaded for them to trim the tops — or spare a few trees near my driveway. They refused as they have “regulations” to follow. The tree service manager said the three us would “work something out.” A manager with Asplundh tree service was there as well. Nothing was worked out in favor of saving a single tree except for one that was noted.
[This time around], they wouldn’t spare even the small ones — [they] said they are going to cut everything down to the ground the way they did six years or so ago. I love those trees so much and they give privacy to the house, which isn’t far from the road.
Oh, well — chainsaws will be buzzing today. Brokenhearted — and considering moving. This is too traumatic to go through on a regular basis. And my privacy is gone.
— Lori Miller
Weaverville
Editor’s note: Xpress contacted Duke Energy and received the following response from spokesperson Meghan Miles: “Our customers want reliable power — in both good weather and bad. Trees thrive throughout our communities and provide a beautiful canopy, but they are also the main cause of power outages.
“Duke Energy works to balance aesthetics with our goal to provide safe, reliable power to households and businesses that depend on us. We work to ensure power lines are free of trees, vegetation and other obstructions that could disrupt electric service, and we do much of this work proactively.
“Trees and vegetation that are close to power lines and power equipment must be trimmed or cut down to help prevent power outages. This work is done on a routine basis based on the voltage and type of line, as well as the type of vegetation and its proximity to the line.
To maintain reliable service and minimize outages, it is important that we maintain trees and vegetation along the lines that deliver electricity to our customers.”
Well consider yourself lucky if Duke decides to remove all the debris as well. They left 5ft logs in my backyard for over a yr until they finally got tired of me complaining. This is what monopolies do when they have no competition and can override your own property rights., and Duke is one of the worst.
We have a very dead tree hanging over a power line on our property. I called Progress Energy. Six months later after I had given up, a guy came, looked at the tree and said they wouldn’t do anything. It’s obvious that when that tree falls it’s going to take down the power line.
Are you sure it’s power and not telephone and cable? Most people don’t know the difference.
Definitely power. The uninsulated power line was replaced by Duke a few years back with an insulated one, when a tree on another property took the old line down and jerked it off the neighbor’s house where it terminated. No cable on those poles, just telephone below power. I’ve built 2 houses and know the difference.