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Entergy tree trimming to continue
Published Friday, April 25, 2008
NATCHEZ — Mayor Phillip West said he is confident Entergy is handling downtown tree trimming appropriately.
West toured town with Robert Clark, the supervisor of vegetation for Entergy for the State of Mississippi, Thursday to examine whether trees were being lopped off too severely to clear power lines.
“I went around and looked at various areas and for the most part things looked OK to me,” West said. “I didn’t see anything unsightly.”
West said the majority of the meeting was for Entergy to explain what it is they are doing.
Approximately every four years, Entergy trims sucker growth from trees by power lines.
Sucker growth is what grows back on the tree since the last time the tree was trimmed, which was in 2004.
Despite many complaints about the trimming, Clark said Entergy does all it can to assure customer satisfaction.
First, this means calling the customers and placing door hangers letting them know that their trees will be trimmed soon.
“We give the public a fair amount of time if they have concerns to call us and we’ll be more than happy to resolve anything we can,” he said.
Clark said they’d only received a few calls about their work downtown.
“We were able to talk to the customers and resolve all of those issues with their satisfaction,” he said. “Everyone seemed to be pleased with what we’re doing.”
Clark said while the results of the trimming may look somewhat appalling at this point, it’s similar to getting a haircut.
“You get a haircut, you’ve got a shock,” he said. “Your tree is basically getting a haircut and it’s been four years since we’ve been here so it is kind of a shock.”
He asked that residents give the trim time, within a few months, the tree will begin to resprout.
Clark said the foreman of the trimming crew is told to be sensitive in cutting the trees.
Clark said some concerns about the tree trimming simple aren’t valid.
Some residents have expressed worries that trees cut during warm weather would leak sap, attracting insects and ultimately leading to disease.
Clark said trees are cut throughout the year, and these trees being cut now have been cut during warm weather before.
“If that were true, some of those trees would be dying and they’re not dying,” he said.
Entergy trimming crews will continue to trim trees in the downtown area until July or mid-August, Clark said.
Entergy will not touch the trees that are currently being trimmed again until 2012.
Comments
Posted by hopefloats (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 5:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
So only the downtown residents are given rights when it comes to cutting of trees? I read in the nd that entergy was going to be cutting trees from powerlines...next thing they are in my backyard cutting the top out of the only shade tree i have...so now there is no shade in my backyard. Had to move my plants. Now we are reading that we had a right to say no...we tried ...they couldn't speak english.
Posted by redusmfan (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 5:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Si' Senorita" Que poso Horhe'? This is the future of our country. If we do not do something about illegal immigration soon, we all had better speak spanish.
Posted by observer (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 7:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If you call sawing limbs that are two feet in circumference off of ancient oak trees "getting a haircut" then the barber must have cut off your head! It's pretty obvious that these guys have no clue what they're doing, regardless of what language they speak. West should be ashamed of himself.
Posted by Bar_Louie (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 7:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Natchez suck anyway, who cares...!!! You all need jobs. Why not cut the trees and put places to work so the people of the great town of "Natchez" could work for a living....
Posted by darylwalker (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 8:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
First off, I agree if a tree is in danger of hitting a power line, something needs to be done. What I find odd is the way some of these trees are "trimmed". For example, has anyone looked at the magnolia trees that were recently "trimmed" near Parkway Baptist Church? I'd rather see the entire tree cut down before seeing it "trimmed" into the shape of a "U" underneath the power line. That's just ugly.
I understand the cost of burying all the power lines in Nachez would come at great cost, but why not start doing it in stages? One section now, another later, etc... Look at Village Green subdivision. It was built about 30 years ago and even then they had the forsight to bury the power lines when they built it. Why didn't that continue? You would think in 30 years time they'd have been able to slowly phase it in and have the entire city done the same way.
Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 8:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Excuse me but I do work for a living, as do most of those who post on here. I would like for my kids to be able to stay in Natchez and work, but don't think thats going to happen. And I have been known to cut a few tree limbs off, but since I stop and look at what I am doing it takes a lot more time to do it right than the killers apparently have. West is not a tree trimming expert, so why should he be the one to ok this?
Posted by sandyman7 (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 8:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Yea....I agree about those trees "TRIMMED" by Parkway Church along the by-pass...Guess they didn't take the Mayor along that road, as it isn't "uptown". Those trees are a UGLY sight, and would have been better cut down than left like the are!!!
Posted by whataboutit (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 10:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This has absolutley nothing to do with the trees being cut down in Natchez.......does have something to do with trees though. Please sign a petition if you are approched to help save Church Street in Port Gibson. MDOT is planning on cutting DOWN their trees.
Posted by voiceofreason (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 11:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Perhaps Mayor West should become an arborist when he leaves office. Better yet, let Entergy hire him to clean up his neighborhood.
Posted by justice (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 12:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I would rather see a tree trimmed any day than to be in the dark as a result of it damaging power lines . Surely their are more pressing
issues than coming in defense of some stupid trees being trimmed . Some of these people need a real life .
Posted by ITSME (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 12:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
How bout the people with gripes about the trimming start paying on there own next time.Sure u will complain about that too
Posted by sammohon (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 2:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The trees are extremely important...most people don't notice them until they are gone or butchered...it makes more sense to move the power line than butcher a 100+ year old oak or magnolia.
I'm not a tree hugger, but down here on the coast the live oaks help define the appeal of the area...same is true of Natchez, where would we be without the live oaks with spanish moss, the magnolias, the crepe myrtles, the azaleas?...in a pretty bleak environment.
Mayor West must have been blindfolded when he drove around to look at Entergy's handiwork.
Posted by whataboutit (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 2:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
We hope those new 200 crepe myrtle trees do not get in the way a bit down the road of the light wires, or that MDOT will not decide to put an interstate down Washington Street. I just remembered, I did here of a major interstate coming this way to bring in more revenue for the casinos. Look out Natchez MDOT is on a rampage for cutting trees as the next time you ride through Port Gibson there may not be any of those old Oak trees on Church Street.
Posted by andy (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 3:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
mr west needs to look at why we are planting trees on st catherine street under power lines in a few years they will be in the lines how dumb and whose made that project
Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 5:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
“I went around and looked at various areas and for the most part things looked OK to me,” West said. “I didn’t see anything unsightly.”
I think Stevie Wonder has better eyesight than Phillip West. The mayor certainly did not give a very politically correct answer. But I don't know that there really is an answer other than people buying their own generators and doing away with power lines completely.
Everytime we turn around we hear the word "consultant". These mystery people are hired for all sorts of consultation, real and imagined. Maybe before this happens again the city could hire a special consultant to work with the power company before and during the trimming. I would think that would (for once) be money well spent.
And honestly, some expert advice would be helpful for any projects where mass plantings take place. Some proper planning could save a lot of grief and money in the long run.
Posted by 1redneck (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 8:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
We have target practice every other week with a bulls eye target in front of an old oak tree . That thing is full of bullets and is still standing . Tough trees !
Posted by justice (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 9:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I remember those kids killed years ago on melrose ? because some beautify org. decided to plant trees right in the middle of the median . If that tree wasn't there those kids probably would have survived . Trees have no place in the middle of no highway median . It makes driving more dangerous because of the visibility issues . These people are going to keep on with that unnecessary planting till one day Natchez or the state will be in a huge lawsuit . Planting magnolias and crepe myrtle saplings under utility lines should be against the law anyway . These activities should be reported to the
state attorney general or the head of MDOT . We have uncessary power outages due to these trees growing into power lines . Entergy is doing a good thing by providing better service to their customers . I agree with their actions rather than some "behind the times green earther ." Way to go Entergy !
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on April 27, 2008 at 10:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I saw those trees on parkway oh my they look awfull......Why not just cut them down? I agree with the lines being buried..Seems to me in the long run it would save money. When we had straight line winds,tornadoes,trees growing into power lines,squirrells eating them etc....All that would be cut out then...
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