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Atlanta homeowner wants power company to pay, accusing pruners of killing dogwood trees – WSB-TV Channel 2

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ATLANTA — A northwest Atlanta homeowner wants Georgia Power to take responsibility after he says pruners killed several dogwood trees on his property.

“They have to trim the trees and prune them so they don’t interfere with the power lines,” Lee Smith said. “That’s completely understandable, but there’s a difference between trimming, pruning and topping trees.”

Jeremy Tonjes is a certified arborist. He said Channel 2’s Courtney Francisco that cutting down a tree means cutting off the top. He said it can kill a dogwood.

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He looked at the three dogwood trees in this case and said, “They’re dying.”

Georgia Power said it is still investigating whether its work caused the problem. A spokesperson said the vegetation management team plans to meet with the customer to work out a solution next week.

The company said News on channel 2 “Georgia Power’s arborists and professional tree contractors trim trees to provide safe, reliable service to our customers. Trees that come into contact with power lines are among the most common causes of power outages.”

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Staff said the industry standard is to leave 15 feet of space between branches and power lines. However, staff said builders consider tree species when pruning, and slower-growing ornamental trees often require less clearance.

Georgia Power said it notifies customers at least a week before cutting operations begin in their neighborhoods via email and postcard. Door hangers are left out two to three days in advance.

Staff said anyone who wants to alert workers about a particular tree before it is trimmed can email [email protected]

Tonjes said that if you notice a mistake, you can do something about it.

“You have to be proactive. You can always call a certified arborist or a professional tree company to make any cuts that are not appropriate to help the tree heal,” Tonjes said.

He said in that case, the dogwoods would likely have to be removed. He added that it could cost more than $1,000 and the owner wants Georgia Power to pay for it.

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