Kentucky Utilities, city of Lexington reach agreement on tree-cutting policies

After a contentious, years-long back and forth between the city of Lexington and a local utilities company over the power company’s liberal razing of trees throughout the city to make way for power lines, both groups have officially reached a mutual agreement.

On Thursday night, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council and officials with Kentucky Utilities Company announced a joint resolution in response to “community concerns” that modifies how KU cuts, trims and removes trees around transmission lines, Mayor Linda Gorton said.

After an uproar from residents that began in 2020, aggrieved that big trees were being axed in yards across the city, and an unheeded request from the city for KU to stop, the city sued last year.

With the mutually-agreed upon plan reached on Thursday, the city opted to drop its lawsuit.

In July, KU initially conceded and agreed to make changes to its tree-cutting policy, which resulted in an estimated 50% reduction in the number of trees clear cut and an increase in monetary compensation to affected property owners. The city, in turn, agreed to hit pause on its lawsuit. Those six changes were mutually agreed upon and formally approved on Thursday.

Beth McFarland, vice president of transmission at KU, said the company agrees to make “some modifications to address concerns raised by Mayor Gorton and community members.”

Gorton said Thursday evening that the goal is to “preserve our electrical grid and protect our trees and the beauty of our neighborhoods. We worked together, and now have a good plan that is appropriate for the city.”

Among the changes to KU’s vegetation management program:

• KU will modify how it gauges which trees require cutting within or on borders of its transmission lines. Previously, KU cut trees taller than 15 feet. Going forward, each tree within a transmission right-of-way will be assessed individually. Taller lines will likely leave room for trees taller than 15 feet.

• KU will also stop cutting trees under distribution lines and smaller lines that provide power to individual homes. These two modifications will result in 50% fewer trees razed.

•KU will increase its monetary compensation to affected private property owners by 20%.

The utility company agreed to continue coordinating with the city on the replanting of razed trees on public property; remain open to consideration of future changes to reduce the amount of tree cutting; enhance its “revegetation” on public and private easements; and increase communication with neighborhood residents on tree-cutting plans.