CALLICOON  —  Do trees leaning on power lines pose a safety threat to the vehicles passing underneath and to the residents living nearby? How common is this occurrence and how does the utility company deal with this situation?

There were two large trees laying on utility lines on “Snake Road” (17B) near the intersection of Lux Road in Callicoon on Wednesday, February 5th. These same trees were reportedly seen on January 30th. They were both large and seemingly heavy trees and a portion of the trees were hanging over the westbound lane of 17B. 

The removal process

The Democrat reached out to Max Weissman, Media Contact at Avangrid (Parent Corporation of NYSEG and RG&E), to learn more about what happens when they get reports of a tree laying on a utility line. In response to our report of the two trees in Callicoon, Weissman wrote in an email; “After checking with our local crew, it was determined that those are not our lines, but rather communication cables. If anyone believes trees around utility lines need to be removed or pruned, we encourage them to contact the appropriate utility company - NYSEG, the cable company or the telephone company.” Weissman said that NYSEG receives calls for trees and limbs on wires on a regular basis and that high winds or unexpected storms can increase the volume of calls. “Within NYSEG territory, more than half of all outages are caused by trees and tree limbs, which is why vegetation management for our lines is one of our tools for creating a safer and more reliable grid.”

Next, the Democrat contacted Lara Pritchard, regional Vice President of Communications at Spectrum for the Northeast region. After a few rounds of email, Lara was able to confirm that the trees on 17B were laying on Spectrum lines and that she would delegate a crew to remove the trees immediately. The next day a Spectrum van drove through Callicoon and it was reported later that the trees had been removed from the lines, while the tree debris was left on the ground to organically decompose. 

In a rural setting like Sullivan County, trees fall every day. It may be surprising, but the giant corporations providing our communities with electricity and communication do not check their lines enough for trees and other debris. This leaves the local citizen with the responsibility of contacting the utility and requesting the tree’s removal. The two trees in question were substantial enough to cause danger to people driving underneath if either the tree or the communication cable snapped, but both NYSEG and SPECTRUM were unaware of the trees’ presence until we reached out. Fortunately, after several phone calls and emails, a representative of Spectrum answered the complaint and took action to remove the trees. 

What to do

If you see a tree laying on a utility line, you can contact customer service at NYSEG [(800) 572-1131], Spectrum [(833) 267-6094], and call 911 in the case of an emergency. 

It might also be helpful to take a photo of the tree and write down the telephone pole number in case they need clarification on the tree’s location.

As always, professionals urge everyone to practice safety above all else and never take a chance with power lines.