Scenic beauty versus power delivery

Pike couple outraged at tree pruning practices

By SANDY LONG

GREELEY, PA — Ten years ago, Herman “Skip” Van de Vaarst and his son, Jeff, planted a screen of carefully sited white pine and hemlock trees to shield their home from the road and provide cover for the wildlife they enjoy watching. On August 3, Van de Vaarst and his wife, Elizabeth, stood helplessly by as 19 of those trees were removed in a matter of a few hours by Jaflo Inc. of Orefield, the tree-trimming contractor hired by PPL Electric Utilities.

When Skip and Elizabeth confronted the crew’s foreman, they were told that PPL holds an easement, or right-of-way, which permits pruning trees or brush and that the couple should check their deed for proof.

When the dust settled, the couple did check their deed and said they can find no evidence of the easement. PPL has searched their computer records for that information. Not finding it there, they commenced a title search. Two months later, the Van de Vaarsts are still waiting for the search results.

For the past 50 years, the property has been in Elizabeth’s family. The couple took it over in 1994 and began cultivating the grounds with trees and shrubs. “We’ve landscaped this property by hand, without using power tools, to create a private setting where the animals can find sanctuary,” said Elizabeth.

Skip, who worked as a horticulturist for years, said trees offer many qualities worth preserving. “They provide shade, shelter for wildlife, privacy, nuts and fruits and help to reduce the noise from the road,” he said. “And they purify the air besides just being beautiful. I love trees.”

The power perspective

One of the qualities the couple values about Pike County is its attractive natural environment. At least 68 percent of Pike County voters would agree. To protect its scenic qualities, which support the region’s tourism economy, Pike County voters passed the “Scenic Rural Character Preservation Bond” in the amount of $10 million in 2005. But PPL line clearance inspector Brian Deeken said that power delivery, not scenic beauty, is PPL’s top priority. “Our main goal is line reliability,” said Deeken. “People get very irate when the power goes down.”

The Van de Vaarsts said they don’t overreact to the power outages that sometimes occur. “It’s part of life when you live in a rural area,” said Elizabeth. “We’ve learned to adapt over the years.”

PPL trims urban power lines on a four-year basis and rural lines every six to seven years. The routes, or circuits, run for miles (86 in the case of the Greeley Lake line, known as the Kimbles circuit). Jaflo will continue to cut trees along Pike County circuits for the next several months. According to Deeken, circuits are selected based on the amount of outages experienced along that line.

PPL regional forester George Hahn said that Pike County circuits being trimmed or scheduled to be trimmed are Lakeville Area, Hamlin (to include The Hideout), Bohemia (to include Woodloch Pines), Rileyville-Lookout Area, Varden in South Canaan and the area northeast of Honesdale Borough.

Conflict and confrontation

The Van de Vaarsts aren’t the only ones with objections to the tree management practices of PPL and Jaflo. When Jaflo personnel show up and commence cutting, they are sometimes met with outright resistance. “Our guys have been threatened with everything from brooms to guns,” said Keith Tucker, Jaflo’s general foreman. “They’re just doing their job, based on the specs provided by PPL.”

According to a statement that appears on the PPL website, “Before contractors start in an area, you will be notified and will receive an explanation of the work that will be performed.” But the Van de Vaarsts said that no one contacted them before the day on which pruning began.

In addition, the Van de Vaarsts say that Jaflo personnel trespassed beyond the reaches of the right-of-way. “They cut down all our wild azalea, too,” said Skip. Jaflo left one tree “so badly butchered,” according to the couple, that they asked for it to be removed rather than to see it every time they entered their driveway. Jaflo returned and cut the tree down.

While property owners might not be able to save their trees from the chainsaw, they’re stuck with part of them once they’re on the ground. “The byproducts of trimming are tough to get rid of,” said Deeken. Jaflo, which has been performing the cutting for PPL for 30 years, grinds the trimmings and carts the mulch to landfills, unless a homeowner requests to keep the mulch. Solid wood trunks are cut and left for the property owner to use or dispose of.

For additional information visit www.pplelectric.com or contact Hahn at 570/253-7046. Tucker can be reached at 570/594-0406 or visit www.jaflotrees.com.