A total of 10 miles of tree trimming will take place in Essex along Laurel and Dennison roads as part of Eversource’s rotating tree trimming schedule. The work is to be started sometime at the end of January.

According to Eversource (the former CL&P) spokesman Mitch Gross, the utility services 149 of the 169 towns in the state, maintaining more than 17,000 miles of overhead electrical wires.

“Trees are the number-one cause of power outages, especially during storms,” said Gross. “Tree trimming, ...[helps] to keep branches away from lines.”

Eversource is working with Essex Tree Warden Augie Pampel, as well as Lucas Tree Experts to complete this project.

Contractors are obliged by new Public Utilities Regulatory Authority regulations and state statutes to notify abutting owners of work planned on trees on or hanging over the public road. Tree owner approval is required for trees wholly on public property. Pampel wants residents to know that according to these new statutes, they have the right to accept the planned work, waive their rights to object to the work, modify the work, or refuse all tree work, if they choose.

Laurel and Dennison roads will be subject to enhanced tree trimming (ETT), which is the most expansive specification. ETT results in ground to sky clearance and eight feet from the wires. If more than one quarter of a tree’s leaf canopy has to be removed to satisfy this specification, the entire tree will tagged for removal.

“We understand how our customers feel about their trees here in Connecticut, but we also know that our customers realize the damage these trees can cause if they are left untrimmed,” said Gross. “What our goal is, with our rotating trimming schedule, is to increase the safety and decrease the severity of power outages due to tree branches. We are proud of our working relationships with the towns’ tree wardens as well as the contractors and we will continue to do our best to bring reliable service to our customers throughout the state.”

Those wishing to modify the work or object to the trimming or removal of trees should contact Pampel and Eversource in writing. Pampel can be reached via email at augiepampel@att.net or mobile phone 860-388-7209. Eversource can be reached at www.treeCT@eversource.com or by calling the Eversource Customer Care Center at 1-800-286-2000 or Eversource Business contact at 1-888-783-6617.