Kansas Icon: Trees

The Atchison Globe carried a story headlined, The Return of Tree Cutting, a story that could be apply to any town in the state.

Kansas communities are known for their forested appearance. In the western part of the state on a mostly treeless plain, the association of trees and people is clear. In the eastern part of the state where trees are more plentiful, their association with urban development is not as remarkable, but is nonetheless evident. Trees are used for shade, ornament, windbreaks, and environment protection. Trees were planted by Western pioneers to recreate the appearance of their former home areas. Trees are part of the Kansas scene for all of our benefit.

But, trees may also conflict with aboveground electric lines with disastrous consequences. The recent ice and snow storm across Kansas and MIssouri have left thousands of residents and businesses without electrical service, for the most part due to disruption from fallen trees and limbs breaking distribution and service lines. That's why tree trimming and, in some cases, removal are so necessary for the continuity of electrical service and the safety of the public.

Of course, underground electric distribution and service lines are the best assurance of continuity of service. However, retrofitting our communities to all underground power is an expensive and difficult process. Tree trimming is probably, except for new development, the most practical solution, and then only if done in a manner that is an acceptable compromise to the tree butchering that some electric utilities have committed and the overly zealous protection of improperly located trees that some tree-trimming protestors demand.

Tree trimming is an electric utility expense that is funded like other costs of business by its consumers. The appearance of Kansas communities should not be sacrificed to maximize earnings per share, but neither should overly careful or exacting tree trimming inflate the cost of an essential service. Compromise is the key to the problem of the conflict between community appearance and continuity of service.

From the Atchison Globe article, it appears that both Westar and the City of Atchison are working together to find the best way of reaching both goals. This is the real Kansas way of providing safe, desirable communities.