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Health & Fitness

Sen. Duff Leads Passage of Tree Trimming Legislation

Bill aims to strike an improved balance between reliable utility service and preservation of trees

On Wednesday evening state Senator Bob Duff led final, bipartisan passage in the General Assembly of legislation that will establish new guidelines for the trimming of trees and shrubs around utility poles and wires.

“Connecticut is one of the most heavily wooded states in the nation, and our trees make this state a truly beautiful place to live. Yet we must care for our trees, particularly those planted near utility lines, as falling limbs can cause power outages and prove dangerous during a storm. This bill aims to strike a balance between trimming trees back to keep the lights on, and minimizing damage to the aesthetics of our communities and the trees themselves,” said Senator Duff.

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 In recent years, Connecticut has been struck by massive storms which left tens of thousands of people without power for days. Many of these outages were cause by falling trees or limbs, and efforts to prune vegetation near utility lines were increased.

House Bill 5408 makes several changes to the process utility companies (including telephone, telecommunications, and electric distribution companies) must follow before pruning or removing any trees or shrubs around their poles and wires. The bill:

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  • directs utilities to obtain written affirmative consent from a private property owner before trimming a tree
  • expands the information a utility must include in its notice to a property owner of intent to trim a tree
  • requires that tree trimming be conducted to retain the pruned vegetation's structural integrity and health
  • places the burden of proof on a utility if an abutting property owner objects to its proposed tree trimming
  • standardizes and streamlines procedures for objecting to proposed tree trimming

 The bill now proceeds to the desk of Governor Dannel P. Malloy for his signature.

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