Tree trimming begins on Longboat Key

Florida Power and Light contracted tree crews are back on Longboat Key this spring, cutting trees away from power lines.

The trimming irks some residents every year, who believe the trees are being mutilated by making deep cuts in branches near power lines.

The Asplundh Tree Expert Co., as part of FPL’s preventative maintenance line clearing program, has cut several trees in neighborhoods, but mostly along Gulf of Mexico Drive, this month.

And just like every year, residents typically complain about how the trees are cut, according to Town Manager Bruce St. Denis.

Why?

Because FPL-hired crews use a directional pruning method to direct future tree growth away from power lines.

That means only interior branches growing toward the electrical lines and equipment are removed, leaving several trees looking more like they have been split down the middle from a bolt of lightning.

Many residents have hired landscapers to reshape the trees after FPL performs its annual trim.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].