UTILITY STARTS TREE TRIMMING/REMOVAL
If you see red marks on your trees, pay attention! Those marks mean Indiana Michigan Power and its contractor, Asplundh, are planning to either trim or remove your trees. You will see numerous trees marked right now in our Waynedale area.
As a property owner, you should be aware that you have rights when dealing with Indiana Michigan and Asplundh. The aggressive trimming of trees by utility companies in Indiana has been a topic of great controversy and has led the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) to hold hearings and issue rules on utility vegetation management. These rules can be found on the website of the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC), www.in.gov/oucc.
The IURC rules state that when trimming trees, the utility must adhere to nationally recognized best practices. This means utilities are prohibited from topping trees or removing more than 25 percent of a tree’s canopy without the property owner’s consent. If the property owner does not consent, the utility must offer alternatives.
The utility or its contractor cannot enter your property without your permission. The utility must conduct its trimming from the public rights of way or easements. The utility also is required to give written notice regarding tree trimming or removal.
Indiana Michigan contractor, Asplundh, had been leaving door hangers, but those can easily disappear before you see them. Asplundh also has had a representative in our neighborhood, but that representative works for the utility company and is not required to advise you of your rights as a property owner. If you see red marks on your trees and don’t agree with the utility’s plan to trim or cut down your tree, you can contact Indiana Michigan Power’s vegetation management office in Fort Wayne to discuss the plans with the power company.
If you want to be present when your trees are trimmed, you must ask Indiana Michigan to supply you with a precise time for trimming. The IURC rules state, “If the customer requests a more specific time, the supervisor shall endeavor to work with the customer to give a precise time.” Complaints and questions about utility tree trimming can be addressed to the OUCC at its toll free number, 888-441-2494.
Keeping the electricity on in our neighborhood is certainly important to all of us. But our large, old trees are a great asset to our neighborhood and should be protected from over aggressive trimming or removal by utility companies and their contractors.
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