Donna Aho has lived on the same property in Brush Prairie for the majority of her life. The 260-foot stretch of roadside trees have been a part of her life until recently.
Earlier this month, Aho said a work order was made by Clark Public Utilities (CPU) to cut the line of trees that were growing beneath utility lines along her property on Northeast 189th Street.
Aho said she asked both the arborist workers and CPU Forestry Maintenance Manager Paul Wienecke to please trim and top the trees.
The next day, when Aho came home from work, the trees in front of her property that had been there for the majority of 60 years were cut completely to the ground.
“They weren’t hitting the telephone line,” Aho said of the trees. “And you go to other people’s fences and their trees are still up. They didn’t cut them like they did here. … They’ve never done this in 60 years.”
On the CPU website, vegetation management is stated as a key component to power reliability.
“We take a proactive approach to vegetation management near our power lines and electrical facilities,” the website states.
The website further provides insight into the utility’s right-of-way maintenance program.
“Trees contacting the power lines are the leading cause of power outages on our system,” CPU states online. “That is why we do everything we can to find a healthy balance between our appreciation for trees and our obligation to provide safe and reliable electric service. Through our regularly scheduled tree-trimming program, we redirect tree growth away from power lines to help limit damage that may occur due to extreme weather.”
Aho pointed out a fruit tree under a utility line in front of a neighboring property that was trimmed, not completely cut. The trees in front of her property that are no longer standing were a mix of fruit trees and other flowering leafed trees.
“When I’d be mowing there between the fences, I would stop and eat some apples and cherries along the way,” Aho recalled.
Aho added that she was told by Wienecke that a singular cherry tree can be replaced out of the 28 clumps of trees that were cut in the 260-feet stretch.
“It just makes me angry that they just came and don’t even care,” Aho said of her trees being cut. “I can see if they went up just 10 feet and cut, so they won’t sprout out, but I don’t see this. It’s overreaching. I think they need to replace these. … I stopped these guys two times and talked to (Wienecke), so I did it three times to talk to these guys to stop doing this. They didn’t listen and they cut it all down.”
On the CPU vegetation management page, diagrams include different ways that they redirect tree growth away from power lines through trimming. As well, they state they clear and trim all trees that are within 10 feet of overhead power lines to help ensure the reliability of the electrical system.
Aho believes the trees in front of her property could have been trimmed instead of wiped out completely. She did point out that as of Wednesday, March 12, a multitude of trees on her street alone were growing into the power lines.
Clark Public Utilities Communications Manager Dameon Pesanti stated in an email that arborists have been completing reliability and safety trims in that area for more than two years and will likely continue for a few more months.
