Golfers and homeowners along the River Oaks Golf Course in Calif. watched in disappointment as 28 trees were cut from the landscaping over the past week.
Mike Phipps owns the golf course, which has been in his family for more than 30 years. But a 90-foot circumference surrounding the 230,000-volt power lines that run through the course is jointly owned by the Modesto and Turlock irrigation districts.
The MID is responsible for maintaining the power lines, and trims the trees and branches within the easement several times a year.
The 28 trees being removed from the property are mostly eucalyptus and some redwood.
MID spokeswoman Kate Hora said the district spends $1.5 million annually on tree trimming, a cost that is carried over to customers.
To avoid ongoing trimming expenses or ultimately killing a tree by cutting off its top, Hora said it was best to remove the 28 trees and replace them with smaller species, "that are appropriate for the Central Valley and won't cause a problem in the future."
But replacing the trees is a cost incurred by Phipps. He already has spent $200 on three flowering cherry trees that won't grow taller than the 17-foot maximum for a tree under a power line.
Phipps said his father, who died last year, planted the trees on the golf course when he purchased the land in 1979. The line that provides power to thousands of MID and TID customers was built four year earlier.
"This is really not an issue of who was here first," Hora said.
The power line is not a neighborhood power line but a bulk transmission system that, if hit by a tree, could cause a widespread power blackout and potentially start a fire, Hora said.
READ FULL ARTICLE>>>