BEDFORD, N.Y. - New York State Electric & Gas’ tough new approach to protecting power lines from trees could give Bedford homeowners a “bit of a shock.”
“We are going to try to reclaim a lot of the right-of-way this go-round,” the utility’s forester for the local region, Sam Miller, said last week. He announced an aggressive program of tree trimming and made clear they would be cut down where needed, including somebody’s front yard.
“We are trying to get those trees away from the power lines,” he told the Bedford Town Board’s Sept. 16 meeting. To avoid tree-caused outages, Miller said, NYSEG will be trimming branches to provide 10 feet of clearance on each side of the power lines, 15 feet above them and 10 feet below.
“And if we can’t maintain that [separation through a five- to six-year growth cycle] we are targeting them for removal.”
Branded the principal cause of power outages, some trees in the utility’s right-of-way as well as those that are nearby but infirm, could face the woodman’s ax. A hazardous tree—one that is “imminently going to fail” or poses “a real problem of coming down on the lines” would be removed as part of what Miller called a “continual and ongoing” program.
“That’s a little bit different than we used to do, where we used to take it on a case-by-case basis and work with homeowners and try to come to a resolution that works for both parties,” he said. “We’re being more stringent with those guidelines. So, some trees you may have seen standing for a while, that have been there, those trees will be subject to evaluation or removal.”
Miller said that homeowners will be notified well in advance of any tree trimming or removal and that he will be available to discuss matters on a case by-case basis. “I’m more than happy to come out and talk trees,” he said. “That’s what I went to school for, what I really love.”
Still, the vegetation manager warned, “It is going to be a little bit of a shock when we do start removing some of these trees.”
Miller said he can be reached at NYSEG by calling, 585-484-2229, or emailing, Snmiller@nyseg.com
Supervisor Ellen Calves thanked Miller, saying, “I do very much appreciate you’re willing to meet with homeowners if they want to understand why and what you’re doing.”
NYSEG’s attack on any potential threats to the power supply will also extend to vines, including those snaking through shrubbery like boxwoods and other species that provide privacy and screening for homeowners. “We’re being much more aggressive with trying to cut the vines around the poles,” Miller noted.
“Some vines are really hidden in shrubs,” he told the board, “and there are a lot of shrubs that kinda go along a lot of properties in Bedford. . . . When we go in to cut those vines, we have to cut some of those shrubs out.”
The work is being performed by Lewis Tree Service and is expected to continue in all of Bedford till year’s end. “At least I hope my crews get it done by Dec. 31,” Miller said.
In a statement announcing a $90 million joint project with another utility for tree trimming and removal throughout parts of the state, NYSEG said, “Trees are the leading cause of power interruptions, accounting for nearly half of all interruptions.”
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