We’ve always tried to share positive stories about history, growth, the occasional folly and the simple joys of exploring nature. On most days that’s easy to do, but . . .
Taking a different track
We’ve all dealt with difficult neighbors, but imagine one with the legal right to enter your property, and the power to destroy it. That’s the situation we’re now facing with our neighbor, First Energy/Penn Power.
Earlier this year, without notice, Penn Power sent a crew of forestry subcontractors to “maintain” the vegetation beneath their transmission lines, which run along our property and the adjacent bike trail. What followed was anything but maintenance, it was widespread destruction. See: The Great Train Robbery
The crew used a method known as “Hack and Squirt,” cutting rings around tree trunks and filling the gashes with herbicide to kill the trees. This wasn’t careful vegetation management, it was overreach, plain and simple. Mature trees, many more than ten inches across, were needlessly targeted. The beautiful raspberry and blackberry thickets that once lined our section of trail are gone. Other property owners along the line lost fruit trees and even fencing was damaged by the intense herbicide blend.
The immediate damage was heartbreaking, but the greater danger came after. Penn Power’s negligence left behind a landscape of dying trees. Chemically created snags lines the trail from here to the state line. Each tree a threat to the safety of park visitors.
Our calls to Penn Power began in April after we first noticed the damage. When we expressed concern that one of these dead trees could fall and seriously injure, or even kill, a park visitor, we were told, “We’ll have someone call you.” That call never came. It took multiple follow-ups, each with over an hour on hold, before anyone finally responded.
That brings us to today. Penn Line, a forestry company contracted by Penn Power, has been on-site for the past few days removing the Hack and Squirt trees along our property line, but that’s as far as they plan to go. The rest of the trail will have to fend for itself.
Even with the professionalism of the Penn Line crew handling the dead trees, the remediation still comes with it’s own set of problems. Their policy is to drop trees, clear the smallest branches, and leave the large trunks in pieces for residents to manage. When asked about further cleanup, the reply was simply, “We don’t have to do anything more.”
Don’t have to? That’s not how neighbors treat each other. Good neighbors take responsibility for what they’ve done, not because of a law or regulation, but because it’s the right thing to do.
This story isn’t just about trees and bushes. It’s about a corporate mindset that values profit over stewardship and community. Penn Power, part of the FirstEnergy family, benefits from our most basic need, electricity. Their profit first approach led to the use of poorly trained subcontractors and a policy that avoided accountability. In the end, it’s the community that bears the burden.
So, where does this leave us?
The land is scarred. The damage is done. Penn Power’s choices have made it clear they’re not interested in being a partner in restoring what’s been lost. So, healing will come slowly, from the resilience of nature and the steady work of our own hands.
We believe in being good stewards and good neighbors. We’ll continue to clean, replant, and care for this land because it’s ours and because we are a part of a larger community. And we’ll continue to share this story, not out of bitterness, but because accountability matters.
The setback is real, but so is our resolve. For now, we’ll focus on what we can control. Thank you for continuing to follow and support our work at Caboose Falls.