Asheville has the distinction of being named Tree City, USA, for the past 33 years. While not every tree in our city grows near a utility power line, many of those we encounter every day in our commutes do. The recent effort of Duke Power to clear utility power line rights-of-way of tree growth is reasonable. The wildly divergent pruning techniques employed by its contractors are not. A case in point can be seen on Brevard Road between I-240 and Haywood Road and on Haywood Road between Brevard Road and Patton Avenue Some trees have been so badly maimed that reason suggests they should be removed entirely. I encourage Buncombe County and Asheville City officials to look into ways of standardizing tree care along our roadways. Tree City, USA, deserves it.
— Reavis T. Eubanks, Jr
Asheville
