Near Lines, Short Trees Stand Tall
By Debbie Messina, The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va.
May 2–NORFOLK — A bad haircut. That’s often how a tree looks after it’s been pruned to avoid contact with power lines.
Not only is it unsightly, it’s not good for the tree’s long-term health. It’s not good for public safety, either, if a weakened tree topples onto a street.
That’s why the city has embarked on a pilot project to remove trees under power lines that look bad or have been damaged by pruning and replace them with smaller varieties that won’t get entangled with overheard wires.
On Thursday, volunteers and city crews planted 100 trees along a 1-3/4-mile section of Granby Street between Tidewater Drive and Forest Lawn Cemetery to replace 48 that had been removed.
City forester Richard Wernicke called it a “utility line arboretum.”
Wernicke said the trees that were removed were “tall, dangerous, disfigured and unbalanced.”
The six varieties that were planted shouldn’t grow taller than the 35-foot-tall power lines and shouldn’t require clearance trimming.
Oak, elm and pear trees have been replaced with red buds, fringe trees, kousa dogwoods, flowering cherries, stewartia and styrax.
“Put the right tree in the right place,” Wernicke said.
“Look Up Virginia” is a partnership with Dominion Virginia Power as well as the Virginia Division of Forestry, the Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, Norfolk Master Gardeners and others. The partners contributed money to purchase $4,000 worth of trees, labor and equipment.
Wernicke said everyone wins in the “Look Up Virginia” project. It reduces tree trimming costs for Dominion Virginia Power and tree removal costs for the city when a weakened tree falls. It improves the safety of citizens by removing falling tree hazards. And it makes the city’s urban forest more attractive.
Dominion Virginia Power’s tree trimming contractor is on the streets daily whacking off branches and foliage that grow into power lines. Most neighborhoods are on a three-year tree trimming cycle, Chuck Penn, Dominion Virginia Power spokesman, said.
The goal is to avoid power outages and fires, Penn said, acknowledging that the result is not always “aesthetic to the eye” or “favorable to the tree.”
Federal law requires that power companies prune trees back from power lines on a regular cycle. Trees can cause power outages simply by coming into contact with power lines. When trees touch power lines, they can also become energized conductors of electricity or can catch fire.
“It’s a continuous struggle,” Penn said. “We’re walking a tightrope to keep the lights on and to be respectful to the emotional and aesthetic investment people have in their properties and their trees.”
Debbie Messina, (757) 446-2588, debbie.messina@pilotonline.com
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Copyright (c) 2008, The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va.
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