[Vision2020] Burying Moscow power lines (was: Moscow Named Tree City USA)

[Kenneth Marcy]

On 4/16/2013 4:41 PM, Don Coombs wrote:
> And yet Moscow has some of the ugliest trees in the country -- with 
> their hearts sawed out during as-cheap-as-possible pruning to protect 
> power lines.

Has anyone completed a study of how much it would cost to bury the power 
lines in at least the tree-bearing portions of Moscow, Idaho? I am not 
referring to one of these back of the envelope estimates for burying 
power lines in some major urban center, which estimate happens to 
include bodacious profits and guaranteed retirement plans for the power 
company and construction contractor executives, but rather a 
well-studied, practical estimate of the actual costs of converting to an 
underground municipal electrical distribution system for Moscow, Idaho.

> You can't have trees growing into power lines, but you could prune the 
> whole tree and leave it looking like a tree, AND you could make more 
> of an effort to limit what species are planted under power lines in 
> the first place. That's what a tree commission should be looking to 
> accomplish. (Fast growing, tall species are a mistake.

Trees and electricity have been noted to intermingle for short and 
temporary periods as holiday lighting displays, for example, but those 
situations are exceptions to the generally preferable condition.  For 
urban environments, underground distribution is preferred.  Rural 
distribution and the transmission that feeds it is another matter, 
financially and practically.


Ken