BWL Changes EL Tree Trimming Schedule

Image: BWL trimmer truck at Hannah Plaza earlier today

At last week's meeting of the Glencairn Neighborhood Association, Lansing Board of Water and Light’s (BWL’s) Manager of Community Services Bob Perialas informed those present that BWL has changed its tree-trimming schedule for East Lansing. A follow-up email exchange with Perialas confirmed that “East Lansing Trimming has been pushed back to 2016 and 2017.”

You can see the updated map here, and can zoom in to find your neighborhood.

I asked Stephen Serkaian, BWL’s Executive Director of Public Affairs, why the schedule was changed. Serkaian responded: “BWL tree trimming crews have been assigned to other areas in our service territory until concerns expressed by some E. Lansing customers can be addressed.”

A number of East Lansing residents, particularly in the Glencairn and Oakwood neighborhoods, have put up yard signs warning BWL personnel against trimming without appropriate permission and proof of easement rights. Some residents have also been objecting to BWL’s cutting plans for trees on their properties because they believe to be the trimming to be unnecessarily aggressive.

For our readers, I asked Serkaian, “what is the general logic used in deciding which area is done when?”

To this, Serkaian replied, “As a result of recommendations made by the Community Review Team and Michigan Public Service Commission, the BWL created a 5-year tree trimming rotation schedule where every area of our service territory is visited in order to remove limbs away from power lines to maintain appropriate clearances for system reliability and the safety of our customers and employees. The schedule focused first in areas with a more frequent history of outages caused by downed lines caused by trees.”