Montour Trail-Letter

Volume 12, Issue 2

March/April, 2001

Hazlett Tree Service trucks line the Trail. There are three here (one not visible in this picture). It was not unusual to see as many as seven at one time on different sections of the trail

As you are by now aware, Duquesne Light Company contracted with Hazlett Tree Service to trim under the tall power poles (which were installed in 1992) along the Montour Trail. During the past eight years Duquesne Light has been a very good neighbor to the Trail, redecking two of our trail bridges at no cost to the Montour Trail Council (MTC). So, to maintain this excellent relationship, trail-users were urged to be cautious and courteous when passing Hazlett workers, even when the noisy, congested intrusion was almost too much to bear at times.

And for all you trail-users who did so, know that your efforts were appreciated.

Work began on November 13, 2000 and included tree pruning, tree removal, brush cutting and control. The extent of the work performed varied throughout the corridor.

The program that Duquesne Light performs along such right-of-ways (r/w) is one of long-term vegetation management.

According to Duquesne Light's Vegetation Management Department (PA-VM), the r/w walls require pruning and removal of hazardous trees. The r/w floor requires selective brush removal. This removal effort is selective and the presence of desirable low-growing species such as viburnum, elderberry, honeysuckle, and sumac, to name a few, helps to minimize the visual impact in certain areas of the r/w. This encourages the low-growing species to become established and serves to outcompete the undesirable tall-growing species such as maple, elm, black cherry, black locust, and sycamore and to provide excellent habitat conditions for wildlife. Brush removal requires selective handcutting and/or herbicide application.

After the trimming project was completed, an inspection of the Trail indicated there were some minor problems that needed to be addressed. They were: the significant amount of logs remaining on the Trail; a wooden bench near Snyders Scrap Metal that was demolished when a cut tree fell on it; and finally, the ruts created by the Hazlett trucks in some sections of the Trail due to its wet, muddy condition caused by the winter thaw. A dry spell will give a better indication as to its severity.

A major advantage stemming from this project was that the trimming actually improved visibility at some of the road crossings.

All in all, the near three month long project was a successful cooperation between Duquesne Light and the MTC.

The Montour Trail Council thanks Duquesne Light for their cooperative efforts in making the entire trimming project bearable.