Tree trimming in Riverside

[cline]

For the past couple of weeks tree trimmers have been clipping tree limbs throughout the Riverside/Avondale neighborhood.  I'm assuming this is at the direction of JEA since they are only clipping the limbs around power lines.  It is really a shame though because they are butchering a lot of these trees.  I watched them do it to a couple of trees on Edgewood this past Saturday.  I can only hope that all of these trees survive as there seems to be no discretion to the limb cutting just as long as there are no branches remotely close to the actual power line.  Some of the limbs do not appear to pose any threat to the line but were cut anyway. 

To add insult to injury, this morning on my way to work they had one lane of Park Street blocked with a signman allowing a few cars by at a time.  With all of the streets in Riverside/Avondale, one would think that it would make the most sense NOT to be blocking traffic on Park Street (one of the busiest street in the neighborhood) during rush hour.  I guess that would be asking too much though.  Rant over...

[iluvolives]

It's really sad. 2 weeks ago I was driving around Avondale enjoying all the trees in full bloom and then the next day I wake up to tree trimmers hacking them all apart. We really need to push for underground electric- god knows Riverside/Avondale is more than doing there part when it comes to property taxes.

[fsujax]

They did the same thing in Springfield last year. Completely destroyed the trees. I do not know why the City allows JEA to continously get away with this.

[Dog Walker]

Quote from JEA's door hanger passed out before the trimming started:

"Under the direction of JEA's certified arborists, professional trimming contractors use proper arboricultural pruning methods."

COMPLETE AND TOTAL BS!!!!!!

The tree trimmers from Lewis Tree Service, JEA's New York based contractor, are untrained, unsupervised and probably undocumented.  When you try to point out to them that they are grossly exceeding JEA's 10 foot clearance guideline, they will first pretend not to speak English then say you have to talk to their supervisor whom they decline to name or call.

They have no clue how to properly trim different kinds of trees, but just hack away.  Their so-called supervisors are actually just translators, not arborists, and JEA evidently never checks Lewis's employment practices, training practices, or does follow-up inspection of their work.

BOGUS!  And a scandal waiting to happen.  Shame, JEA, shame!!

[fsujax]

I agree it is BS! they need to be called out on it.

[RiversideLoki]

They should have a local place like Big Ben's do it. The crap that these untrained apes do makes my heart hurt. 

[iluvolives]

 I found in RAP's 2009 strategic Plan that they have a goal to work with JEA- I wonder where we stand on that.

Preservation of the Tree Canopy: We will finalize a reforestation master plan with
the City and work with JEA on proper tree trimming. We will seek funds for
planting canopy trees on private property where overhead utility wires exist.

[The Compound]

I hate JEA, but there was an ad a few months back for an arborist.
They trimmed some in my yard, but it looks random, there are still limbs touching the wires. It must have been time for a break.

[ChriswUfGator]

Quote from JEA's door hanger passed out before the trimming started:

"Under the direction of JEA's certified arborists, professional trimming contractors use proper arboricultural pruning methods."

COMPLETE AND TOTAL BS!!!!!!

The tree trimmers from Lewis Tree Service, JEA's New York based contractor, are untrained, unsupervised and probably undocumented.  When you try to point out to them that they are grossly exceeding JEA's 10 foot clearance guideline, they will first pretend not to speak English then say you have to talk to their supervisor whom they decline to name or call.

They have no clue how to properly trim different kinds of trees, but just hack away.  Their so-called supervisors are actually just translators, not arborists, and JEA evidently never checks Lewis's employment practices, training practices, or does follow-up inspection of their work.

BOGUS!  And a scandal waiting to happen.  Shame, JEA, shame!!

+1

These idiots have killed half the oaks in Riverside, including a bunch of live oaks When I complain to them, they try to lie and say they're all water oaks. They weren't all water oaks. Maybe they really don't know the difference.

[Dog Walker]

JEA representatives appeared before the Board of Directors of RAP last Wednesday to talk about a plan to replace a couple of transmission lines in the RAHD which will require the removal of a bunch of trees on Riverside near Boone Park.  The subject of trimming practices came up too.

Lots of tap dancing verbage, lots of "I'll have to get back to you on that" and lots of "We're just trying to stop the power interruptions".  (There were twelve interruptions last year.)  BFD!

The hostility from Board members was restrained, but extreme.  You could almost hear the teeth grind and the loathing behind the polite questions was really thick.

That Board is not a group of people that I would want that angry with me!  Yikes!

[duvaldude08]

For the past couple of weeks tree trimmers have been clipping tree limbs throughout the Riverside/Avondale neighborhood.  I'm assuming this is at the direction of JEA since they are only clipping the limbs around power lines.  It is really a shame though because they are butchering a lot of these trees.  I watched them do it to a couple of trees on Edgewood this past Saturday.  I can only hope that all of these trees survive as there seems to be no discretion to the limb cutting just as long as there are no branches remotely close to the actual power line.  Some of the limbs do not appear to pose any threat to the line but were cut anyway. 

To add insult to injury, this morning on my way to work they had one lane of Park Street blocked with a signman allowing a few cars by at a time.  With all of the streets in Riverside/Avondale, one would think that it would make the most sense NOT to be blocking traffic on Park Street (one of the busiest street in the neighborhood) during rush hour.  I guess that would be asking too much though.  Rant over...

Oh please that is nothing. They had a lane blocked off during rush hour on BAYMEADOWS RD one day AND it was raining. When I got off 95 it took me almost 20 minutes to get to my apartment and it have only taken 3 minutes. They seem to be very incosiderate.

[mtraininjax]

Well you could complain to our local rep, Corrigan, but that is like talking to the wall. He's worthless and he has a new campaign to collect your taxes.

Best to wait for the new District 14 rep, either Dame or Love and complaign to them.

[ChriswUfGator]

Unfortunately at the rate JEA has been going for the past year or two, there won't be any tree canopy left by then. The destruction wrought by these morons is extreme in Riverside. We've already lost between 1/3'rd and 1/2 the canopy over the past two years, and they're still going at it. Another few months means further massive damage.

The most egregious thing is that they don't understand what they're doing, I mean they just don't have a clue. I can think of a dozen times I've watched them butcher a tree so badly that it dies, not because of disease or anything but because the only way they know how to trim a tree is to leave it looking like Charlie Brown's Christmas Tree. Then another JEA crew comes by later and chops it down because it died due to the damage they caused. And here's where it gets good. JEA has a policy of only chopping the tree down, they claim they aren't responsible for dealing with the stumps as long as the stump is under 4'.

So they come on your property, without permission, trim your tree so negligently they kill it, then come along afterwards and chop it down because they killed it, leaving you to pay $1k+ to remove the stump (unless you just want to stare at it for eternity), and claim they aren't responsible. It's ludicrous.

[Live_Oak]

http://www.riversideavondale.org/index.php?id=155

A little info from RAP about the tree trimming.  Emailing pictures to info@riversideavondale.org could be helpful.

[MusicMan]

Just curious, but who planted all the magnolias 4 feet apart
on Riverside in front of the Villa Reve townhouses? These should
be about 30-40 feet apart, because when they mature they will
kill each other, destroy the sidewalks and rain debris all over the place down there. That was just beyond irresponsible to think that would work.