Tree Cutting Update: Oncor Leaving Some Trees

“ONCOR IS LEAVING MANY OF THE TREES ALONG THE EASEMENT BETWEEN FOREST LANE AND HARVEST HILL ROAD.”

Oncor has concluded that there was no way they can move forward with their plans for the upgrade to their transmission lines and not cut any more trees.  While the neighborhood isn’t going to get 100% of what it wanted, Oncor has provided what appears to be a reasonable and fair compromise.  Oncor makes the point that it is important to understand a compromise in their business can be potentially dangerous and it is imperative they are careful when considering where and when to compromise.

They have reviewed their plans and concluded that they will leave some of the trees.  They will remove any trees and brush that is within 35 feet from center of their right-of-way, which is essentially everything up to the existing chain link fence.  This leaves an approximate 15’ foot wide area between the chain link fence and the concrete wall along the tollway.  However, there will be some trees required to be removed within this 15’ area due to the type of tree or potential encroachment into or under the high voltage line.  They will leave many (hopefully most) of the trees located between the wall along the tollway and the chain link fence line.

Here are some answers to specific questions.

•  Oncor will also be conducting cutting and trimming as necessary for the trees remaining in their ROW.  Regarding the question of whether or not any of the pine trees at either end of the easement will be left, the answer no; all of the pine trees will be removed. This plan will also include removing the chain link fence, as the NTTA confirmed the fence was put there during the construction phase in the 1960s to keep animals and pedestrians from accessing the road during construction and it no longer serves a purpose.  Oncor considers it a safety factor and it will be removed.

• Oncor will be planting grasses in some areas as this will not only help to address any potential erosion but may also address some of the aesthetics concerns.  By removing what they refer to as “trash trees”, their vegetation management department says that this will enable some of the better species to return within the 15’ area where some vegetation will remain.  With respect to concerns regarding the areas around the existing lattice towers, where there are significant gaps due to trees already removed, Oncor will consider plantings in spaces where the impact was more significant than other areas. Oncore will follow their Hike & Bike Trail Guidelines as a guide for the type of plantings which are allowed in their ROWs.  The maximum tree height allowed is five feet; however, they may consider something that will best address the concerns without compromising the transmission line.   Oncor agreed it would be best to wait until the trimming and removal is complete and access the situation at that time, in order to determine the best course of action.

• Regarding the neighborhood’s inquiry about the NTTA and what their position is regarding noise concerns, NTTA declined Oncor’s request to participate on a Stakeholders Committee.  The neighborhood intends to reach out to NTTA and to find out what can be done to mitigate the increased level of noise.

• Some neighbors were told by Oncor’s tree cutting crews that all of the trees along the alley, underneath the distribution lines were going to be removed.  That is not true.  Oncor had scheduled to trim those trees this month, but that trimming has been rescheduled for a later date.  Oncor will not be removing the trees under the distribution line, however they will be conducting some maintenance trimming on them soon and will provide us advance notice.

• Construction of the new transmission poles will begin in January and Oncor will provide construction schedules and project updates periodically to keep the neighbors informed.

• Since Oncor’s crews have been rescheduled, they could not provide an exact date when the cutting and trimming will resume.  The construction begins in January, so the cutting/trimming will likely resume later this month or early December.  Oncor will provide advance notification so the neighbors are aware when they are back in the area.

While this is all very good news, the fact remains that many more trees are going to be cut, and the area will look much different than it does today.  Time will tell how the remaining trees, as well as any new plantings, will grow and thrive.  This much we know; some trees are better than no trees.  A month ago when we started our fight to save the trees, Oncor intended to clear cut the entire easement.  With the exception of the pine trees, if Oncor does leave most of the trees within that 15’ wide area, then they are leaving what was originally planted 30 years ago by the Texas Turnpike Authority.

Our community needs to recognize both our City Council Member, Jennifer Gates for her outstanding leadership on this issue and Steve Houser, Certified Arborist/Master Gardener/Master Naturalist.  Without their voices, the end result would have been very different.

We also want thank Richard L. Brown for his continued work on communicating on behalf of Melshire Estates during this whole process.

Sincerely,

Linda Valalla, President, Melshire Home Owners Association