Tree Hugger's Meltdown

[RidgeTopWVA]

 

[Hoss710]

Some emotional people there !! think they made the trees even sadder lol !!

 

[NHBX]

The things you see when you don’t have a chainsaw with you!

 

[Hay Dude]

Now THERE’S a group I want to hang out with

 

[Omega Woods]

Kept looking for Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein in the crowd.

 

[bdhsfz6]

I like trees but I don't consider myself a tree hugger. I like to think I'm environmentally responsible though. My views on the subject changed considerably after an incident that happened 20 years ago.

I live in a rural area fed by a single phase powerline serving a total of 14 customers. In 2003, the local power company asked permission to trim trees adjacent to the line. 13 of the property owners agreed but one tree hugger refused.

Sure enough, in 2004, hurricane Ivan tore through the state creating a massive number of power outages. We were not hit hard locally but a single branch on that tree hugger's property came down on the line. It tripped the breaker and all 14 customers were out of power for 15 days! It normally would have taken about 15 minutes to reset the breaker but due to the small number of customers involved, we were way down on the power companies priority list.

As a result of that extended outage, a farmer lost some livestock, a diner went out of business and the rest of us had to drive 40 miles to get gas for our generators. So much hate was heaped on this poor tree hugger that he eventually moved away.

I can't help but wonder if this is the cost we have to pay for loving trees.

 

[LouNY]

I just got so disgusted I couldn't watch or listen to it all.

 

[RidgeTopWVA]

 

[RidgeTopWVA]

I just got so disgusted I couldn't watch or listen to it all.

 

[Omega Woods]

I like trees but I don't consider myself a tree hugger. I like to think I'm environmentally responsible though. My views on the subject changed considerably after an incident that happened 20 years ago.

I live in a rural area fed by a single phase powerline serving a total of 14 customers. In 2003, the local power company asked permission to trim trees adjacent to the line. 13 of the property owners agreed but one tree hugger refused.

Sure enough, in 2004, hurricane Ivan tore through the state creating a massive number of power outages. We were not hit hard locally but a single branch on that tree hugger's property came down on the line. It tripped the breaker and all 14 customers were out of power for 15 days! It normally would have taken about 15 minutes to reset the breaker but due to the small number of customers involved, we were way down on the power companies priority list.

As a result of that extended outage, a farmer lost some livestock, a diner went out of business and the rest of us had to drive 40 miles to get gas for our generators. So much hate was heaped on this poor tree hugger that he eventually moved away.

I can't help but wonder if this is the cost we have to pay for loving trees.

Around here, the power companies don’t ask permission to trim trees in the right of way. They just do it with gusto and a particularly inartistic flair.

 

[FriendwithTractor]

Living in a rural area requires maintenance, (House, Tools, Tractors, Equipment, Landscaping) trees don't escape this maintenance. I love trees, I think they're great, beautiful things. However, you need to trim them, make sure they're healthy, not bothering their neighbors or taking over the place. Sometimes that means tough decisions.

For example, this past weekend I had the un-enviable task of cutting down an old Sycamore that my friend had grown up climbing and playing on as a small child. It held a great deal of nostalgia for him, but was sick beyond recovering (literally rotting down) and threatening his newly constructed house. We saved what we could of the trunk so that it can eventually become lumber and make it's way back into his life as something new. I believe he's already ground the stump and is trying to find something new to put in it's place.

So I can partially agree with tree huggers on the sense that trees are great, but there has to be limits.

 

[Omega Woods]

Living in a rural area requires maintenance, (House, Tools, Tractors, Equipment, Landscaping) trees don't escape this maintenance. I love trees, I think they're great, beautiful things. However, you need to trim them, make sure they're healthy, not bothering their neighbors or taking over the place. Sometimes that means tough decisions.

For example, this past weekend I had the un-enviable task of cutting down an old Sycamore that my friend had grown up climbing and playing on as a small child. It held a great deal of nostalgia for him, but was sick beyond recovering (literally rotting down) and threatening his newly constructed house. We saved what we could of the trunk so that it can eventually become lumber and make it's way back into his life as something new. I believe he's already ground the stump and is trying to find something new to put in it's place.

So I can partially agree with tree huggers on the sense that trees are great, but there has to be limits.

Excellent post. Couldn’t agree more. I will say that’s it’s unlikely that many of the shrieking fanatics in the video dwell in rural areas.

Actually living on the land gives most of us a balanced view of nature which, as you say, leads to difficult decisions involving trees and other of nature’s gifts.

 

[MossRoad]

 

[bdhsfz6]

I like this method better:

https://www.google.com/search?q=toothpick+from+log+cartoon&oq=toothpick+from+log+cartoon&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i160l4.1999252742j1j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:6954e229,vid:Jn4k2TPIJf0

 

[MossRoad]

 

[MossRoad]

 

[bcp]

Bruce

 

[MossRoad]

Last one (for now)

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

Those people need a good spankin' with a wooden paddle...after discovering they've been kneeling in poison sumac and chiggers. THAT'S when you'd hear the roar of a Sthil MS 881 R MAGNUM.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Around here, the power companies don’t ask permission to trim trees in the right of way. They just do it with gusto and a particularly inartistic flair.

Here too. The power line easement requires the property owner to keep all hazards away from the lines, and if the property owner doesn't do it the power company will. They are reasonable I have a walnut and an apple (volunteers) growing under the power lines and as long as they stay below the wires the power company is fine with them. If I let them get to line height, the power company will prune them at the roots.