trees in golden rock

I'm glad they cut them down. Looks clean now. I hope they finish up properly and cut the stumps down to the ground.

but do you know why?

Usually they'll cut big trees down if they're diseased, widening roads or there's issues with roots invasion into underground pipes.
You can call Public Works to find out.

Some of the ones we saw looked badly diseased.

what is the DPW doing with all the local Mahogany wood that was recently cut in Western Cemetery STT??

thanks. i actually miss those trees and i imagine they provided nice shade for those apartments. imagine how hot they will get now.

i was also wondering what they were doing with the wood. i believe there are a couple of local craftsmen on island who could get great use out of it

Some of the ones we saw looked badly diseased.

-Those trees were nice. It's a shame to see them go so brutally.

-Some of them, especially those on the Pueblo side of the road, were ficus trees which are notoriously damaging to cisterns, pipes, underground construction of any type, so that may well be the reason they were removed, in which case I completely understand. Ficus has no value as a timber. Its sap is toxic. But they better finish removing them or they will come back. They are famously resilient. There was a mahogany or two on the project side of the road but they were pretty rough looking. (see below)

-The only disease those trees suffered from was bumper blight which is quite common in roadside trees of any species. (I probably need to point out that was a joke, y'all.)

-No experienced craftsman would touch a roadside tree for the likelihood of running in to generations of nails, staples, metal fence posts, wire, bullets, auto parts, etc.

thanks for some info on both the trees. i do appreciate it

There was an editorial by Bob White in the Avis a few weeks back that the trees were being taken down by order of VIPD. They claimed it was to stop all the drug dealers here on the island.

That's an absurd reason, if true, to remove trees.

There was an editorial by Bob White in the Avis a few weeks back that the trees were being taken down by order of VIPD. They claimed it was to stop all the drug dealers here on the island.

...carrying that idea forward, we could potentially eliminate our waste disposal problems by removing the dumpsters.

LOL....Indeed!

that is a ludicrous reason to remove trees.

Yes, that has been VIPD's long time lazy solution to crime prevention. Cut down the trees to eliminate loitering. From west to east, they've been doing it for years.

Ficus has no value as a timber. Its sap is toxic.

A co-worker found this out the hard way when he went at one in his yard with a chain saw and let the chips fly all over him. He was red as a lobster, worse than a case of poison ivy.

WAPA (Asplund) was doing heavy pruning in my La Grande Princesse neighborhood today. Yay:@) The trees looked pretty hacked up when they were done with them but at least the lines are clear.

my co workers lines are covered in vines and trees. she looses power 5 times more than i do.

I can never understand why Asplund cuts the tops off trees in the WAPA right of way making a horrible, ugly mess of the trees rather than removing them completely. In any other jurisdiction, the entire tree would be removed.

I guess they do that so they can guarantee continued work coming back again and again when the ugliness grows back into the electric lines year after year.

Trees should be properly removed from the right of way and not allowed to grow within a certain distance from the roadway.

Just my opinion!

VI Canuck, that's the VI way, by not doing a job right the first time they have to come back and do it over and over....Job Security.

VI Canuck, that's the VI way, by not doing a job right the first time they have to come back and do it over and over....Job Security.

I see them doing it that way in the states too. Seen trees with the middle canopy cut out cuz the lines were above.

That's not the VI way, it's the Asplundh way.

It's unfortunate, and it's a real frustration to arborists, but it does make sense if you think about it. They are hired by utility companies to keep the lines clear as cheaply and efficiently as they can. They cannot be overly concerned with aesthetics if they are trying to maximize the clearance around lines to prevent interruptions to service during normal windy conditions.

Obviously the ideal solution from a utility perspective would be to either bury the lines (yes please!) or cut down all the trees within impact distance of the overhead lines. But our roadside trees and canopy are a real treasure, so we are left with the compromise that we have.

Really not possible to remove the trees around the lines completely. Can you imagine how many trees that would be??? Mahogany road would be LEVELED. For one, I hope they never do that. I would rater lose power than they remove these beautiful trees.... and FWIW I lose power A LOT. A REAL solution would be bury the lines. I mean they're a freaking MESS to begin with. I could imagine how beautiful Fsted would be without all those lines all over the dang place... and some paint....

i heard the reason they dont bury the lines is due to all the earthquakes

I don't think earthquakes would have much to do with it as in a massive quakes, poles and above ground lines would be more likely to be affected than those underground unless buried in a sand or landfill environment.
Cost is the main reason from what I've always heard.

I guess that I will weigh in to this puddle. I am an ISA certified arborist and hort degree.

I have been on both sides of the discussion: contract with Cambridge, MA. to clear lines in residential areas. I have been involved with litigation in Charleston, SC when the local utility company subs tree pruning. I have physically stopped utility subs from (over/improper)pruning my customers' trees. I have done corrective pruning after the fact.

First of all; ISA credo " right tree, right place" You can't blame the tree for intrusion, poor canopy, messy fruit, etc. It is also difficult to blame the municipality because they rarely consult arborists. EDUCATION for all is a step in the right direction.

Next. Power companies make little money on line installation; done is done. They make continuous money on "line maintenance" a fee that is on (or hidden within) your power bill. All new subdivisions are putting lines underground; power company is making a lot on increased impact fees posed on the developers. Burying existing lines is VERY expensive ($$millions$$). Charleston is an earthquake zone.

There are pruning guidelines for line maintenance. Very vague, often ignored. These guidelines do not take into account Pruning Dosage. The amount of vegetative growth to be removed from a tree each growing cycle. Deals with species, compartmentalization, geography, overall health, etc. Asplundh and other sub are paid by the mile. They are not caring for trees, they are providing a minimum of 10' clearance, that is all. When there is a storm and wires are pulled down by trees it is blamed on the utility for not pruning.

Topping Kills Trees! Removing the top of the central leader is death. Period....Take them all the way down.

Overpruning causes the trees to react by growing more shoots and leaves. Reaction to their loss of food production (photosynthesis), taps into reserves to compensate. WOW look at all of the new growth right back up into the wires.