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Updated 22 minutes ago

After servicing several similar projects on trees five years ago, Duquesne Light Co. will return in March to Sewickley for pruning and possible removal of trees, Sewickley Borough announced and the electric company confirmed last week.

Work will occur around utility poles and power lines.

Chadwick Street, Chestnut Street, Thorn Street, Boundary Street, Beaver Street, Centennial Avenue, Blackburn Road, Academy Avenue and Logan Street have been identified as work sites in Sewickley, borough Manager Kevin Flannery said in a release.

Representatives from Duquesne Light and Hazlett Tree Service will place door hangers and reach out to property owners near where work will be completed.

“Duquesne Light's proactive approach to vegetation management is one of the most important factors enabling us to maintain this level of reliability our customers have come to expect,” Duquesne Light spokeswoman Ashlee Yingling said.

“Scheduled routine maintenance is performed every four to five years across our service territory,” Yingling said. “The municipalities are aware of our pending work and customer notification has begun.”

Duquesne Light expects to complete all the work by September.

On its website, Duquesne Light says it uses what's called “directional pruning” to “promote future growth away from overhead power lines.”

Directional pruning gives the tree a U-shape.

“While this type of pruning is not always aesthetically pleasing, it is the best pruning practice that can be used to obtain safe clearance from our lines and equipment and to promote the health of the tree,” Duquesne Light's website says.

In late 1994, Sewickley Borough leaders placed a brief moratorium on Duquesne Light trimming trees in the municipality after residents complained of the work being done. Trees were topped off at the time. The issue brought changes to how trees were pruned.

On its website, Duquesne Light says “topping is not a technique that is practiced or promoted” by the company.

“Topping involves cutting branches back to a stub or lateral branches not large enough to sustain life of the remaining branch. Topping is a harmful practice that results in decay, stresses trees and creates hazardous limbs by promoting fast-growing shoots. These shoots are weakly attached and often interfere with overhead power lines.”

Matthew Peaslee is a Tribune-Review contributing writer.

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