Who Knew I Was Such a Tree Hugger?

Last night I was cooking dinner and heard some voices in the back yard. It's not uncommon to hear neighbors, but it was obviously a lot of men's voices. I went to check it out and there were men in yellow reflective suits in the back yard, looking at the power lines. Apparently one of our trees was too close to the lines, so they decided to trim it up. I can understand that - last Friday during the big storm power went out on our block thanks to a neighbor's tree that fell on the line. We don't want our trees to be next problem. The men leave, but I had a suspicious feeling they'll be back.

Sure enough, from the front of the house comes the sound of a large truck and suddenly the back yard is filled with at least seven men, some from Asplundh, some from City Utilities. Apparently they had no idea we were home, or did not care to acknowledge us if we were. Most stood around in a circle while one climbed the tree and began chopping away. We had the windows open, but the blinds drawn, so they did not realize we could hear everything they said.



Having had the same thing done after the ice storm, I begin to get a bit upset. "Trim" is not in their vocabulary, and I informed Barron of such, but he was doubtful they would cut much off. Let it be noted that I successfully submitted to my husband in his decision not to go out and talk to the guys - I stayed in the kitchen, fuming, but quiet.

Let the chainsaw begin. It was unreal how much they cut off, as evidenced by what was laying in the yard:

But the worst part, by far, was what happened last. The chainsaw had stopped, and the destruction seemed to be over, when one guy yelled "Aren't ya gonna top it? Top it!" You would have thought they were playing drinking games, but no, they were "trimming" our tree!! But wait - doesn't City Utilities have a policy against tree topping? Aren't they part of Tree Line USA, which recognizes utility providers for quality tree care? Supposedly, but with at least two City Utilities employees standing there watching (see the backs of their jackets), this is what our tree looks like now:

According to CU's document on tree management,

"Topping or rounding over the tree’s canopy is discouraged because this practice severely damages trees and encourages rapid re-growth back into facilities. When these cuts are repeated over time trees are weakened, their food stores are depleted, and their ability to resist insects, diseases, and failure is decreased."

Barron was shocked, and pretty hot as well...and still is. We intend to send an official complaint letter (and pictuers) to CU and to Tree Line USA. As I said already, I understand the need to trim trees around power lines, but, even by CU's official standards, what happened was not and is not acceptable.

Thanks for letting me vent - know anyone else who has had trouble like this?

UPDATE: Since my original post, City Utilities has contacted Barron and is going to investigate our complaint. Hooray! Thank you.

UPDATE 6/1/09: City Utilities has been out to see the tree and called it a "totem pole." They offered to come in, take it out, and give us a voucher to purchase a new tree. Sweet! It's a win-win -- they won't have to come "trim" the current tree any longer, and we will pick a smaller tree that won't grow as high. Thank you, City Utilities!