just bought home and was told i wouldn’t have to worry about these?
USA – OH
just bought a house on a newly opened lot less then a year old, if i called the town would i be forced to pay for these? the trees have several cuts already from town and knuckles of wood over 8 inches round still on the wires.
You absolutely need to worry about those. Based on branch size and location, one bad storm that breaks those limbs will likely pull the utility wires and cause a power outage or in worst case a fire
fisherman105
The first picture is def telephone/internet. Nothing to be worried about from a safety standpoint but you will 100% still have a problem with the tree going through the cables
2splinters
Those are communication wires (ATT, Spectrum, etc.). The ones you need to worry about are above your tree. Depending on your location the Utility company will keep the tree trimmed away from those wires.
Aesculus614
Those wires are all low voltage phone/cable/internet.
SensualMortician
Call a tree service. If it’s on your property, you are likely responsible for keeping lines clear, and free of damage.
Glittering_Ad4153
Are you buying the home from PG&E? /s
arb_guitar
Municipal problem, not yours. Id just call the city you kive in and send the pics to the hydro department.
Teediggler81
Have it in writing with your agent and your inspector that u will not be liable for any future maintenance that could be caused by the tree.
hippysippingarbo
Utility arborist here. Those appear to be comm lines, and ive seen comm lines hold up a bucket truck, theyre surprisingly strong – but that’s besides the point.
How close are they to the high voltage?
If left alone, the tree can encapsulate the wires and at worse they’ll girdle the limb – which can lead to rot, decay, and a dead tree (albeit it’ll take years- but ultimately be more expensive )
I might get reemed for this, but id call your utility company first and see if theyd be willing to remove the tree. The internet / phone / whomever lines those belong to dont give a shit about them.
Usually I wouldn’t recommend a full removal, but those are large limbs and if you want to free up the tension you’ll be cutting a lot of the tree.
If your tree is close to or under the power lines its going to get routinely trimmed and potentially topped. Utility companies (usually) dont care too much about trimming practices. “Clearance, not appearance” is a common motto. It took me years to get my guys to actually practice A300 standards and take a few extra moments to make proper / good looking cuts.
If you let it get trimmed over and over, your tree will grow like shit, look like shit, and the weight will all be on one side.
If you remove the tree, you can plant a smaller tree in its place. I’d recommend some kind of dwarf fruit tree – you can keep it around 15′, prune it yourself, and the utility company should never have to touch it.
Call AEPs customer service line for ohio and tell them you have a vegetation management concern. You want to use some key words to get their attention.
“Close proximity to the power lines”
“Tension on the comm lines”
If you *do* decide to remove the tree, be as adamant as you can about it. Theyll likely start off just offering to trim the tree and clear the comm lines – tell them you want the tree removed, plant something that wont grow as tall, and you can maintain yourself. A dwarf apple tree could give you fruit in as little as a couple years.
The_NorthernLight
The biggest problem is them rubbing themselves against the tree and exposing themselves and shorting out the signal. No more internet.
CoralBee503
Probably best to have the tree pruned. Some municipalities handle this type of pruning but not all. They don’t where I live.
Ok_Drive3725
Worry about them. Get that trimmed if you don’t know how to do it yourself. Eventually it may become an issue
12 Comments
You absolutely need to worry about those. Based on branch size and location, one bad storm that breaks those limbs will likely pull the utility wires and cause a power outage or in worst case a fire
The first picture is def telephone/internet. Nothing to be worried about from a safety standpoint but you will 100% still have a problem with the tree going through the cables
Those are communication wires (ATT, Spectrum, etc.). The ones you need to worry about are above your tree. Depending on your location the Utility company will keep the tree trimmed away from those wires.
Those wires are all low voltage phone/cable/internet.
Call a tree service. If it’s on your property, you are likely responsible for keeping lines clear, and free of damage.
Are you buying the home from PG&E? /s
Municipal problem, not yours. Id just call the city you kive in and send the pics to the hydro department.
Have it in writing with your agent and your inspector that u will not be liable for any future maintenance that could be caused by the tree.
Utility arborist here. Those appear to be comm lines, and ive seen comm lines hold up a bucket truck, theyre surprisingly strong – but that’s besides the point.
How close are they to the high voltage?
If left alone, the tree can encapsulate the wires and at worse they’ll girdle the limb – which can lead to rot, decay, and a dead tree (albeit it’ll take years- but ultimately be more expensive )
I might get reemed for this, but id call your utility company first and see if theyd be willing to remove the tree. The internet / phone / whomever lines those belong to dont give a shit about them.
Usually I wouldn’t recommend a full removal, but those are large limbs and if you want to free up the tension you’ll be cutting a lot of the tree.
If your tree is close to or under the power lines its going to get routinely trimmed and potentially topped. Utility companies (usually) dont care too much about trimming practices. “Clearance, not appearance” is a common motto. It took me years to get my guys to actually practice A300 standards and take a few extra moments to make proper / good looking cuts.
If you let it get trimmed over and over, your tree will grow like shit, look like shit, and the weight will all be on one side.
If you remove the tree, you can plant a smaller tree in its place. I’d recommend some kind of dwarf fruit tree – you can keep it around 15′, prune it yourself, and the utility company should never have to touch it.
Call AEPs customer service line for ohio and tell them you have a vegetation management concern. You want to use some key words to get their attention.
“Close proximity to the power lines”
“Tension on the comm lines”
If you *do* decide to remove the tree, be as adamant as you can about it. Theyll likely start off just offering to trim the tree and clear the comm lines – tell them you want the tree removed, plant something that wont grow as tall, and you can maintain yourself. A dwarf apple tree could give you fruit in as little as a couple years.
The biggest problem is them rubbing themselves against the tree and exposing themselves and shorting out the signal. No more internet.
Probably best to have the tree pruned. Some municipalities handle this type of pruning but not all. They don’t where I live.
Worry about them. Get that trimmed if you don’t know how to do it yourself. Eventually it may become an issue