[Trees-executive] Nelson experience

[Mary C. Schlembach]

This morning bright and early Nelson Tree Pruning was ringing my front door
bell.  I thought they might not be cutting in my yard because of the green
ribbon tied to the tree out front.  Eventually everything was settled as I
insisted that the line clearance administrator and I discuss each limb being
cut instead of them simply cutting everything off the side of the tree.
(The Nelson arborist wasn't going to discuss each limb on a case by case
basis, that's when I called the Line Clearance Administrator).  A few things
I learned this morning that we might want to address:

I insisted they clean the cutting blades on their equipment with
bleach/water mixture (which I provided).  The LCA insisted several times
that there is no proven research that diseases can be transmitted by pruning
equipment.  They did this anyhow since I insisted.  Education/Research may
want to look into this.

The LCA insisted that they do not typically go into people's backyards and
cut trees without the property owner's permission.  I responsed that I have
hundreds of stories of cases were they had.  This guy actually told me that
99.5% of cases weren't true.  My response was  "IP is basically telling
their customers that they are lying."

I asked the Nelson guy if he had a copy of Dr. Shigo's standards in his
truck.  They did not.  I suggested to the LCA that they have a copy of
Shigo's standards in every truck and the response was they can look at the
book and remember it.  (Memorizing all the standards, I guess).  I think we
should ask that they provide a copy of any standards and Shigo's book to all
contractors and have them available while working and to customers copies on
request.

They asked me about "throwing the limbs across the fence" to get them out of
the yard.  I told them that I didn't think OSHA standards would allow them
to be tossing tree limbs anywhere.  Perhaps these standards too need to be
made more visible to workers and customers.

Some interesting tidbits:

I must have heard at least 5 times "We are trying to provide safe and
reliable service".   We also got the "we can't put that line underground"
and "putting them underground is cost prohibitive" stories.

The one guy that was moving the limbs mentioned to my neighbor that he has
seen it all.  Even people coming to the door with shotguns.  Makes me wish I
actually knew Charleston Heston afterall. ;-)  My back gate is now padlocked
and double hooked so no one can get back in.  I'm sure these guys loved
working in someone's yard that is educated on what they are doing and how
they are supposed to be doing it.

-m

Mary C. Schlembach
Asst. Engineering Librarian for Digital Services
154 Grainger Engineering Library
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
1301 W. Springfield Ave.
Urbana, IL 61801
217.333.3158
FAX 217.244.7764
schlemba at uiuc.edu