www.arborage.com Arbor Age / May 2014 13
many hours and days evaluating each tree. Our collective in-
tent during this frigid foray was to hopefully reach independent
consensus on each tree and bring our results back to both the
plaintiff and defendant.
At the post-investigation meeting with the utility and plain-
tiffs, both experts (we) presented the same results. While we may
have encountered one or two bad pruning cuts here and there
(when looking at hundreds of pruning cuts), the trees were, for
the most part, pruned in accordance with proper ANSI pruning
standards. Contrary to months of negative media coverage, the
line clearance contractor had actually done an admirable job of
performing work based on the industry-accepted best practices
at that time. My personal conclusion was that the perception
of tree butchery was purely that of an aesthetic perception, and
not the result of bad work. People just didn't like the way the
trees looked.
The utility was happy with the results, but our fi ndings af-
forded no consolation for the damage that was already done
to their reputation and standing with the public and their
customers. For many of the preceding months, the utility had
appeared on front-page articles and in news stories with the
typical inferred byline that they were butchers who did not
care about the trees. As was to be expected, the subsequent
news coverage of our fi ndings did not garner the same level
of attention, nor vindicate the utility's reputation.
Problems like these seem to occur when people who
do not understand proper tree care make an uninformed
allegation based purely on an aesthetic perception (which
often is then spread through media). "The tree looks like a
V! The tree looks imbalanced! The tree looks like hell! You
butchered my tree!"
I think those of us who advocate for science-based proper
tree care should be quick to speak against the erroneous meld-
ing of proper tree care and aesthetic perceptions. They are
two different issues, and should not be considered compatible
in many cases. This is particularly true when it comes to trees
near power lines.
All photos courtesy of CN Utility Consulting Inc.
