Plymouth homeowner livid after Xcel Energy removes trees without warning
Plymouth homeowners surprised by Xcel Energy tree removal
Xcel Energy cut down a tree that stood in a woman's yard for decades after a Plymouth homeowner called to request a trimming. FOX 9's Rob Olson has the full report.
PLYMOUTH, Minn. (FOX 9) - Kristi Spike pulled into her driveway one afternoon in August and got a huge shock.
"I didn’t even turn my car off," she told FOX 9. "I just got out of the vehicle and came over here because I could not believe what I was seeing, that they took the entire tree down."
No warning, no consultation
What we know:
The tree, which was on Kristi’s property, had been growing around overhead power lines and Xcel Energy had periodically trimmed it over the years.
After a storm in May, she called Xcel Energy to request it be trimmed again, since the branches blowing in the wind appeared to be a problem.
She wasn’t told when they were coming out, which she was fine with, but also not told it needed to be removed, which she is not fine with. After all, it was her tree.
"Any kind of communication, whatever that might be -- an email, a phone call, you know -- if it was going to be a problem to simply trim, then I wanted to be notified or part of that conversation."
And worse, they told her hauling away the debris and removing the stump would be on her dime. But after bitter complaints, Xcel Energy agreed to take care of both those things.
Within Xcel Energy policy
The backstory:
As reported by FOX 9 this past March, Xcel Energy did change their guidelines that trees need a 10-foot clearance from power lines. The previous distance was six feet.
This came after disastrous wildfires elsewhere in the country.
On Xcel Energy’s website, their policies are very clear: They will always "attempt" to notify homeowners before they do any work, and trimming may require tree removal.
But that policy isn’t necessarily well-known to homeowners. It certainly was not to Kristi.
"You didn’t even let me know, you didn’t even call, you didn’t ask. Nothing. There was no consent whatsoever, no notification," she said.
Xcel Energy responds
What's next:
After a formal complaint, Xcel Energy did sent out a contractor to haul away the tree debris.
Within hours of FOX 9’s inquiry, Kristi got word Xcel would pay for the stump grinding, black dirt and reseeding. And Xcel Energy did respond to us, explaining their decision and acknowledging they can do better.
"In this case, our crew needed to remove a significant portion of the tree to prune it back a safe distance from the power line. Upon finishing this work, our crew decided for aesthetic and safety reasons to remove the entire tree. It is clear to us now that there is more we could have done to communicate with the homeowner here, and we are committed to improving our communication going forward."
Kristi would still like them to replace the tree. And she’d very much like them to talk to homeowners first, even if removal is the only option.
"That’s why I’m doing this," she told FOX 9. "I really want people to know you could come home one day and you have a tree completely cut down in your yard."