Clearance Extreme--Cedar Lost?

[treeseer]

Clearance Pruning--
This 22" dbh eastern redcedar, Juniperus virginiana had never been pruned for clearance before. This year they came without notification and did this. 76-year-old lady came out to run them off; they looked at her and kept cutting. Now her son thinks she is owed damages for the tree's lost value.

The easement provides not for a set distance, but pruning "to the extent to keep the wires clear." The crew cut a full 15' away. Questions:

Was the pruning excessive?

Is the tree a total loss?

How much if anything is the owner entitled to in damages?

Beware size before opening. pics resized on Post #20.

 

[fwf]

Image links corrected.

 

[Stumper]

The pics are over on the Big orange thread.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

I'd be pissed to come home and see that!

 

[MasterBlaster]

I don't know what that last pic was.

The first two shoulda gone all the way to the ground, and then let the tree recover over the next 2 to 5 years. The new, re-established boundary will be well away from the pwr line.
But initially, it would look like $hit.

:angel:

 

[treeseer]

"I don't know what that last pic was.
It was a shot taken of the stubs left <1' from trunk.

"The first two shoulda gone all the way to the ground,
Pics were of the same tree, taken from opposite views. Hey I didn't take them; I was asked to appraise the situation based on the pics and other info.

What do you mean to the ground, cut the tree to the ground? Redcedars don't stump-sprout here, bubba; do they in east LA? :alien:

 

[priest]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think those easter redcedars will fill back in much if at all. I'd say its pruned far too drastically just to allow clearance for the wires. Around here I believe the clearance crews have to have the homeowners permission for complete removals, so they do butcher a lot of trees. Usually though, the trees are directly underneath or immediately adjacent to the powerlines, and really never should have been placed there to begin with.
If it were mine I'd tell them to come back and remove it and ask for some compensation, or at least contact their supervisor and make him very aware of my disapproval.
However, in this neck of the woods eastern redcedars are generally placed in the "weed" category due to their tendency to overtake pastures and folks' allergic reaction to the pollen. But I appreciate some of the large specimens around town.

Around here, they plant a lot of Oklahoma Redbuds underneath the wires. They look nice, are low growing, and not a huge deal to remove if necessary.

 

[MasterBlaster]

By "to the ground" I meant the side trimming.

 

[treeseer]

By "to the ground" I meant the side trimming.

OK, so you're saying the trees will recover (somewhat?) from this side trimming in 2-5 years, right?

"in this neck of the woods eastern redcedars are generally placed in the "weed" category due to ... folks' allergic reaction to the pollen."

I've never heard of cedar pollen being a major allergen to many folks. Here, people blame their sneezes on loblolly pine pollen, but it's the finer-grained (and less visible) pollen from other plants that casuses it.. Same deal with the highly-visible goldenrod blamed for symptoms actually caused by the lower-profile ragweed.

JC Raulston was a mentor of mine; born in OK, he said redcedars were his favorite tree because of his memories of big roadside specimens.

 

[a_lopa]

that tree will live no problem,itll be the "living dead" the thing is the root system is stronger than ever, on the missing side so now it will compensate the other side from now on and be a nice tree down the track,i think your better off hitting them like that first off and lite trim from then on.you only need one green trimmer when there close to really damage the tree.is removal the solution you seek?

they wont get anywhere going to court IMO

 

[priest]

Yeah, countless people complain about the pollen to me, and it tears me up too. Late February through about Mid-March every year, I can barely work on them. I don't have too bad of allergies normally, but they will turn me into a sneezing mucus factory when they are releasing pollen. I don't know the scientific basis for it (pollen size, etc.), but I do know my own reactions and what my clients relay to me about the trees in their yards. Wonder if there's any regional difference in the pollen. I would strongly doubt it. But they may well be our most abundant tree, so pollen concentrations may be much higher here. They've taken over the pastures (and the historic Crosstimbers forest which consists of Blackjack and Post Oak) so extensively that several guys in town make a living doing nothing but cutting them with tree shears.
Some people opened up an operation this spring chipping cedars en masse for saleable mulch. You can contact them to have your land cleared of cedars, or they will pay you for loads of cedar trees on site, from what I hear.
But like I say, I have nothing but respect for the large historic specimens. They are a native tree, they just weren't historically so abundant due to prairie fires. Up where my grandparents raise cattle in the Flint Hills in Kansas, they do controlled burns regularly to control weeds, cedars, sumac, etc. Beautiful country, and the closest you can get to pristine tallgrass prairie.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

that tree will live no problem,itll be the "living dead" the thing is the root system is stronger than ever, on the missing side so now it will compensate the other side from now on and be a nice tree down the track,i think your better off hitting them like that first off and lite trim from then on.you only need one green trimmer when there close to really damage the tree.is removal the solution you seek?

they wont get anywhere going to court IMO

With that kind of crown loss, there is NO WAY the root system will be stronger than ever!
Tree leaves (needles) make food (sugars) for the tree to grow. Roots do not. If you stop eating, will you grow stronger than ever?
I think not, even in the "toilet water spinning backwards world" below the Equator.
Most likely the roots on that side of the tree will suffer extreme dieback, but you won't see it because they are underground. Do you think any decay could follow the root loss, down in the cool, moist, fungus rich soil?
Heck, ants might even move into the rotting wood.

 

[a_lopa]

what im saying is the root system is still there from under where the limbs used to be,the weight in general has dropped,people want you to beleive trees like that fall over all the time,they dont

 

[MasterBlaster]

You could side trim that tree to the ground, and it would just look at you funny for awhile, and come back stronger then ever.

 

[a_lopa]

Heck, ants might even move into the rotting wood.[/QUOTE]

in the 3rd pic there was signs of borers












j/k

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

You could side trim that tree to the ground, and it would just look at you funny for awhile, and come back stronger then ever.

Yes, that may be true to some extent, but it sure is ugly. If it were my tree, it would be a removal.
It's value at this point is less than zero, in fact, it's a liability. Nobody would buy that tree for their yard (if it were somehow possible to move).
The main thing is, it didn't need to be butchered like that.

 

[MasterBlaster]

The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few...

And the "many" need 'lectricity!!!

 

[Stumper]

The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few...

And the "many" need 'lectricity!!!

That is why winning damages is difficult but anyone who knows diddly about Eastern RedCedars could have protected that vital flow of current without deforming the tree. Incompetence stinks.-Even when it is in the ROW.

 

[a_lopa]

can someone edit the picture to there suggested pruning.or not game to?

 

[treeseer]

Thank you Dan. :angel:

"can someone edit the picture to there suggested pruning.or not game to?

lopa I'd be happy to if I knew how. the line would be about halfway between the wire and the trunk, no closer. other facts I should've mentioned; this wire is 2-phase now, will be 3-phase in a few years. Knowing what little I do about voltage, this does not affect clearance needs much. Many utility guys I've talked to say the wire should've been moved before, not because of the tree but because of proximity to house.

Interesting replies so far, especially the polarization on the poll. I'll post my report in a day or two; would like to hear more opinions. my utility friend from BC has not opined yet.