A Choice When it Comes to Trimming the Cedars.
Posted by nathan on 12 Dec 2007 | Tagged as: my life.
Sad day on the Diehl homestead.
I just got off the phone with a guy who was contracted by NIPSCO (my expensive electric company) to get my cedar trees off of the neighboring power lines. It is all at no cost to me, but I had only two choices:
1. Top off the five cedar trees, which will remove the top 25% of each of the cedar trees.
2. Cut the five cedar trees down completely.
I had wondered when this day would come. Although I thought I would be offered the choice to just trim up one side of the trees which actually may touch the power lines, but no, that wasn’t one of my available options.
I really can’t stand the look of a trimmed up tree. It just doesn’t make sense to me why anyone would want to do that. It looks horrible, and although it keeps the tree alive and the lines free, it is ascetically putrid. Cutting the top of the trees off the lines was not an option, as I would hate looking at them every day.
So, I had to choose to cut them down.
Sad day on the Diehl homestead. The complete look of the approach to the homestead is about to change.
So, in the spirit of my eternal optimism, here are the good things to note about this project:
1. No more heavy shade underneath the trees, so that’s good for my lawn in the long run.
2a. I get to plant new trees. I want to plant at least five new trees next spring to replace these. I plan on planting something out front, but I’m not sure what yet. I know I’ll need something small which isn’t illegal to plant underneath power lines, but I’m not sure what. Perhaps some nice flowering dogwoods. Perhaps a pear tree out front under the lines.
2b. I am excited to renew my efforts to plant new trees. When I first moved in, I had considered planting a handful of trees around the house, but I just never got around to it. So, now I will be motivated to plant the trees to redefine the tree pattern of our home.
3. Free good-smelling firewood.
4. Free haul-away of the brush (yeah, I know, the town would provide this anyway).
Anyway, it’s still a sad day at the Diehl homestead. Once the trees are removed, I’ll be sure to post some before-and-after photos.
3 Comments »
on 13 Dec 2007 at 3:51 pm 1.
Penny said …
At least they gave you the choice! Going down CR 48 by the foundry, we own 2 houses on the roadside. They told us they were taking them down. They don’t care if it is the only shade tree on the lot. They won’t even let you trim it up; it will be right back in the lines a few years later and they don’t want to deal with them. Oh, and they don’t do stumps. This is our Auburn Electric Company.
on 13 Dec 2007 at 4:00 pm 2.
nathan said …
Penny,
I was looking at the paperwork, and it appears I was mislead–NIPSCO doesn’t do stumps, either, but when I asked, the guy gave a long-winded answer, ‘Yes, but it won’t be right away. It all has to be bid out, and so it won’t be right away. But yeah, eventually they will get taken out, but I want you to understand it might take a while, and we won’t cut out the stumps.’
The paperwork clearly states they don’t do stump removals. I am going to have to give this guy a call back and see what’s up with this.
on 14 Dec 2007 at 1:35 pm 3.
Todd Helmkamp said …
Sigh. I’m so tired of our society that cares only about “progress”.