TULSA, Okla. — A Tulsa man’s backyard view is finally clear of a potentially flammable mess left behind by a tree-trimming crew after he reached out to the 2 News Oklahoma Problem Solvers for help to get the debris removed.
Keeping tree limbs pruned back from overhead electric lines is crucial to keeping the power on when severe weather strikes. However, when a crew trimmed limbs away from Public Service Company of Oklahoma’s overhead powerlines near Sam Young’s home, they left behind large piles of debris.
Before the trimming, Young enjoyed the view from his backyard.
“Beyond the fence, it’s just uh a pastureland or forest,” Young said.
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After the crews came through, the mess included vines and sticks piled twice as high as a person in some places, pushed up against the fence and stretching all the way back to the tree line.
“There’s just a mess back here that’s flammable, it’s unsightly,” Young said.
“I moved in here in ’94 and they’ve been out several times and done the pruning to get them away from the lines, and they’ve never left a mess like this until this year or last year,” Young said.
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When asked what he wanted the company to do, Young was clear.
“Clean it up,” Young said.
Young first called the company PSO used to do the trimming.
“They told me they were chopping or cutting off the limbs that would interfere with the power lines, but the vines are all tangled in with them, and they’re not going to clean up the vines because they are just doing limbs only,” Young said.
He then started calling PSO’s forestry department.
“She more or less said they did what we hired them to do and that’s all we’re going to do,” Young said.
When asked whether the company would clean up the debris, Young said they refused.
2 News Oklahoma contacted PSO about the issue.
PSO’s Matt Rahn emailed back, “Customers with any questions or concerns can contact PSO’s Forestry Infoline at 1-877-367-6815.”
Since Young had already done that, 2 News contacted PSO again and included a photo illustrating the issue. Young said that afternoon, “They came out after you guys got in contact with them. PSO sent Asplund out to finish the job,” Young said.
“Thank you so much for all your efforts and what you did because I don’t think it would have been done if you guys hadn’t done that,” Young said. “You sure got this one fixed in a hurry,” Young said.
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Now with the mess gone, Young can once again enjoy the view.
Rahn emailed, “When it comes to our vegetation management program, PSO takes property impact concerns seriously and is committed to fining a solution.”
He added, “When customers contact PSO with concerns about tree trimming, all communication is tracked through our forestry department, and we will review that process to identify any issues and opportunities to improve our customer service.”
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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