Photo by Danny Fulgencio
Remember how Oncor wanted to remove nearly a mile of the trees on the east side of the Tollway between Forest and Harvest Hill? Neighbors Richard and Bonnie Brown stepped up. They lobbied Oncor, city council representatives, neighbors and bible study groups. But most of all, they had persistence. They love their home and the sanctuary-like back yard.
The result? Richard says that while many trees and bushes were cut down, all of the 30-year-old live oak trees and some of the pine trees were spared. “The northernmost and southernmost ends of the easement suffered the most severe cutting, with many mature pines trees removed,” he says. “Most of what was cut was the vegetation that was allowed to thrive for the last three decades.”
Richard feels reassured since he’s been told that much of the vegetation will return. “Oncor has promised to plant new, restricted height trees and plants in those areas that were most impacted by the cutting,” he says. “Although it was hard to watch so many trees cut down, I am thankful for those that remain.”
