Tree Trimming Draws Sharp Reaction

Residents Call Cutting Excessive, Say Pepco Should Give Notice

Montgomery County environmentalists and residents are once again clashing with Pepco over what they say is excessive cutting of trees around power lines by the electric utility.

Activists and civic groups say Pepco should provide more notification to communities before it begins cutting trees.

Potomac residents expressed concern recently after Pepco began work on a "preventive maintenance vegetation management" program along River Road between Stoney Creek Road and West Willard Road; on Seneca Road between River Road and Route 28; and on Route 118 between Route 28 and Black Rock Road.

Katherine Babin of Potomac said she noticed work crews along Seneca Road and saw many trees marked in red for cutting along Route 118 and River Road. On Seneca Road, she said, many trees are being cut to the ground. "This was not a trimming job; this was a clear-cutting job," Babin said.

When she called Pepco to inquire about the project, she said, she was told crews were cutting "nuisance trees."

Babin and the West Montgomery County Citizens Association have raised concerns that the removal of the trees will damage the environment and contribute to erosion.

Pepco spokesman Clay Anderson said the work aims to prevent branches from interfering with power lines and affecting service. Anderson said the company usually refers to trees that get in the way of power lines as "hazardous," rather than nuisance trees.

"When it does look like the trees are or will be encountering our power lines, that's when we cut the trees all the way down," he said.

Species being cut include tree of heaven, several types of maples, black locust, and black and sweet cherry trees, Anderson said, adding that all of those grow aggressively into power lines.

He said the cutting area is treated to promote the growth of smaller trees and other vegetation. "We don't want people to think we're chopping down trees and leaving a barren area," he said.

The clash is the latest in an ongoing dispute between the power company and the community over tree trimming. Last spring, after a Potomac resident complained that the utility company was cutting trees too aggressively, Pepco suspended a project that would have installed a new power line along River Road.

"They don't seem to have any boundaries," said Ginny Barnes, the environmental chairman of the West Montgomery citizens group. "If you're going to do something like that, I think you owe it to the community to let them know."

Pepco officials say they do not usually notify civic or community groups of planned tree cutting. The company does, however, obtain written permission from property owners before removing trees on private land. In addition, before pruning or trimming a tree on private property, Pepco leaves an information packet with the owner explaining the work and instructions on how to contact the utility with questions.

Questions also have arisen about trees marked for cutting along Persimmon Tree Road. That is a county project to remove dead and diseased trees at the request of the Avenel community, said Esther Bowring, a county spokeswoman.