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Thursday, September 13, 2012

Stopped them this year



While walking my dog, the power line tree trimmer guys came by scouting out my land. I caught up to them and identified myself as the land owner. I made it clear to them that they do not have permission to cut down my trees.

5 years ago they came around when I wasn’t home and they butchered the landscape. It wasn’t a surgical removal. Everything got mowed down. All I had left was 2 foot stumps sticking out of the ground. Pickers had even taken any of the good wood that was left behind.

Months ago the power company sent some innocuous looking paperwork in the mail. A careful read of the document revealed that not answering the form would be taken as permission to cut the trees down. Does that seem kinda shady to anyone else? I filled out the paperwork and mailed it in. Sure enough, after the guy checked his records, my lack of permission was down in black and white. My mind has serious doubts that he’d have checked the records if I’d not been around.

In 3 or 4 years those trees will be a bit bigger. Then I’m going to selectively cut a few and turn them into firewood. That’s much better than the trees getting chipped and hauled away. Better for me anyway.

If you aren’t around to take care of your property, no one else is going to take care of it for you. (that’s right Paracynic, I want to darn kids to say off my lawn.)

-Sixbears

18 comments:

  1. Our electric co-op was really on the ball here. After Irene caused several days without electricity for most (we have a genny)due to all the fallen trees, they came to each house and asked for permission to trim the branches hanging over the wires. The cleared a bunch of tress along the entire front of our property. It would have cost a fortune to have a private contractor remove them. And they even cleaned up!

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  2. Just proves that after SHTF, ownership will be held by the occupier. Won't matter what some piece of paper says in some long forgotten archive.

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    Replies
    1. I've been saying that myself for a while now.

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  3. The power co-op here is good about keeping trees trimmed, not just cutting them down. Wish the phone company was the same. Luckily, my lines are underground.

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  4. Here, they don't ask, the city just cuts. Afterwards the results are not pretty.

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    1. I know exactly what not pretty looks like. There's an arrogance that rubs me the wrong way.

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  5. That is shady because they know most folks won't reply.

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    1. That's how I see it. The form looked just like the junk mail the utiltiy sends out from time to time.

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  6. It always pays to read the small print. . . and be home when they come.

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  7. I'm glad you were there to catch them in time!

    Gotta keep an eye on these sneaky guys now days, that's for sure!

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    1. Indeed. Never know what will happen when you aren't watching.

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  8. Power company here hired a contractor to clear lines which were way overdue. They did a great job and cleaned up after themselves but, never cut an obvious disaster waiting to happen at the corner of our lot. Meanwhile lines that went through other people's property were cleared. I asked a foreman why they weren't touching the mess but cutting lines through property and he said, "Obviously, because the line runs to your house, not through the property."

    Well, it still put the power our when the tree falls! Told him that and he said, "Not in our book!"

    Unreal!

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    1. Sounds about right. They can't think or act on their own. Most likely get into trouble of they colored outside the lines.

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  9. Between the county mowing and spraying, and the power company doing the same, I've lost two maples, a walnut, a sassafras, a clump of elderberries, and a huge bed of beautiful wild day-lilies. Then the state tries to get people to give them $400 to plant "wildflowers" (wild my _ss) along the highways.

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  10. power co cut 18 trees without permission on our land cost them 1000$ per tree. its agood thing we were gone or they would have been met with a shotgun.

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