MAMAKATING — It is Wurtsboro and Summitville's turn to have the trees around the major substations pruned since their last service in 2016.

Regional and Community Affairs Manager Eric Fuentes and Certified Arborist Mark Beamish from Orange & Rockland Utilities Inc. (O&R) gave a presentation about the work that will be done in the area.

“The work we do is necessary for the safety of our customers, our workers and the public,” Beamish told the crowd at the most recent town board meeting on February 4.

Since 2018, there have been a number of power outages due mostly to the summer and winter storms that bring trees down onto electrical lines. O&R is hoping to provide relief to the area by completing some “utility vegetation management,” or in other words, tend to the trees that are close to electrical lines.

Beamish noted that this necessary work is also filled with challenges. Under O&R's jurisdiction, there are 65 substations across 94 municipalities with “nearly 4,000 miles of line.”

The amount of trees to monitor and keep off the lines is enormous. In total, O&R monitors approximately 5 million trees that could potentially interfere with electrical lines, he explained.

Nelson Tree Service will have 8-10 trucks in the area that will be pruning, investigating potentially dangerous trees, and cutting down those problematic trees.

Beamish wanted to let the residents know that workers may be knocking on doors to investigate trees that have the potential to interfere with lines, but workers cannot take down a tree without the homeowner's permission.

Pruning can be done without authorization, but trees will not be removed if the homeowner does not want them to be. If a resident believes that they have a tree that is a danger to the electrical lines and wants it taken down, they are encouraged to report the tree on O&R's website.

Beamish and his team also aim to curb the Ash tree problem. Since 2009, the Emerald Ash Borer, a beetle that can decimate an ash tree within two-three years, is feared to be creating a problem in Sullivan County. Beamish noted that 17 percent of the five million trees he is responsible for are ash trees. Dead ash trees pose a danger to not only electrical lines, but the wildlife and forest around them. Beamish predicted that “we haven't seen the peak of the ash problem yet,” and this will be an “emerging problem for the next 25 years.”

Beamish and Fuentes faced some questions and complaints from the crowd about specific trees in their neighborhoods. Beamish noted that “outreach is a cornerstone,” and he cannot “look at 4,000 miles [of line] every day.” If there is a questionable tree in the area, Beamish encourages residents to report it so O&R can investigate and take care of the problem if it's within their jurisdiction.

Beamish also responded to the many complaints: “His issue are the lines; not every tree is O&R's problem.”

Beamish stressed that five million trees are a lot to cover, and without residents pointing them to “danger trees,” O&R can only monitor what is in front of them. In order to reduce power outages, trees that will interfere with lines during storms need to be reported and taken care of.

Beamish also spoke to his highest priority: keeping the public safe, keeping the lines up, and protecting the wildlife and trees.

“You don't plant a tree for you,” he said, “you plant a tree for the next generation.”