CEI-FirstEnergy Tree Pruning and Removal
During much of 2008, FirstEnergy’s operating company, Cleveland Electric Illuminating (CEI) Company, plans to perform tree work in the City along its distribution lines as a part of its regular 4-year cycle of tree work.
Last year CEI completed the tree work needed to implement the Accelerated Reliability Improvement Program (ARIP) it had been working on for several years in Shaker.
Work performed in 2008 will be in the Woodland, Sorrento and Kinsman circuits; these areas are roughly the parts of the City (starting at the Cleveland Hts. border):
- West of Coventry to Larchmere
- Larchmere to West Park
- West Park to South Woodland
- South Woodland to Southington
- Southington to Huntington
- Huntington to Onaway
- Onaway to Fernway
- Fernway to Lee
- Lee to Lomond
- Lomond to Normandy
- Normandy to Scottsdale
- Plus a small part of Winslow from Shaker Town Center to Daleford, and
- Not including the streets west of Warwick
CEI has hired ABC and Lewis Tree to perform this work. CEI and its contractors will follow the Tree Trimming Policy worked out with the Company in 2006.
CEI plans to cut down only voluntary saplings (i.e. wild, not planted by the property owner) up to 6 inches in diameter that will eventually interfere with the poles and/or distribution lines, and dead or damaged trees that pose a hazard for CEI. Saplings that cannot be cut down to the ground due to a fence or other obstruction will be treated with an herbicide. Some trimming will be done to provide access to poles if it was missed in the ARIP process.
How it Will Work:
Contractors will place one or more of three colored door hangers at each property where work is needed and the neighbor behind that property if the neighbor’s property needs to be accessed to do the work, and if it is unclear on whose property the tree stands.
- Green cards explain the work needed on that property (i.e. pruning, treating undesirable brush with an herbicide, or treating selected species with a growth regulator). Note: CEI says “brush” is defined as “tree saplings up to 6 inches in diameter,” not shrubs, bushes or other plants.
- White cards provide a “Tree Removal Agreement” on a mail-in postcard to give permission to CEI to cut down selected trees.
- Blue cards provide other information to the homeowner about the condition of the trees on the property, normally in response to the homeowner’s request.
No tree removal, and no cutting down of saplings, will be done without the written permission of the owner. Once the owner gives permission in writing, the trees will be marked with red paint. No marking of trees will be done before the owner gives permission.
