Public Service Electric & Gas has begun its cyclical pruning of trees in Jersey City, and some residents are upset.
According to At Large Councilman Mariano Vega Jr., last week was the first time he noticed many trees in the Mercer Street and Jersey Avenue area were being trimmed severely.
“I didn’t realize it was a PSE&G truck,” Vega said. “It struck me as odd. Why would one of my neighbors want to trim their trees back so much?”
At the same time, a number of complaints from area residents were received about the pruning process. Vega found out PSE&G was behind the trimming and contacted Richard Dwyer, the company’s regional public affairs director.
At the June 24 caucus meeting of the Jersey City Council, Dwyer explained the tree pruning and addressed concerns expressed by downtown residents.
“PSE&G trims trees near power wires on a four-year cycle,” Dwyer stated. He added while the city had been planting trees that grow away from power wires for the past 20 years, trees planted in the 1970s such as pin oaks and sycamores tended to push straight into power cables.
“Approximately 26 percent of all power outages are tree-related,” Dwyer said, explaining the need for branch removals. “Another cause of outages is animal contact. Branches create a pathway to conductors for the animals.”
Dwyer said trees like the pin oak could not be “rounded off” at the top, as some residents suggested, since the tree would grow back into its previous form.
Dwyer also warned against “topping” and tipping” of trees. Topping, the removal of top and upright branches, and tipping, the removal of side branches, are undesirable because they cause excessive growth in the trees, Dwyer said.
Instead, PSE&G was pursuing a policy of “directional pruning,” according to Dwyer. “This will make branches grow up and around power wires.”
Explaining the apparent harshness of the trimming, Dwyer said branches were generally cut at the nodes where branches meet other branches or the trunk.
“Making cuts between nodes causes excessive sprouting, the weakening of the tree’s chemical defenses and the spread of disease,” Dwyer stated.
“The wires need a 15-foot clearance since branches sag because of ice and snow,” added Dwyer. “We have left some trees alone which are strong and won’t sway in the wind.”
Also provided at the meeting was a list of 11 low growing trees, including the kousa dogwood, serviceberry hybrid, and the carpinus caroliniana.
Ward B Councilwoman Mary Donnelly made mention of the removal of sycamore trees last year during the Summit Avenue renovation. Donnelly recalled people in the area were upset at the action, as they were not informed about the tree eliminations. Donnelly suggested the council look again at the creation of a Shade Tree Committee to oversee the maintenance and removal of trees.
Council President L. Harvey Smith said the council would look into the matter.