Thats what happens when you live in an HOA......you pretty much signed away your rights

Were there powerlines overhead?

See my "Control Freak" thread on this forum. There is a mindset that the trees & shrubbery must be taken care of and this means shearing and rounding over. The crew must be able to demonstrate that they have been there. There is no thought given to possibly the tree's natural habit might be very pleasing. We can murder CMs and Live Oak the same way, no worries. Sadly I do not see any change in this trend.

No, there are no power lines or other obstructions anywhere nearby.

People are idiots.

photos, please!

i dont understand shooting the messenger ... i am sure the service did WHAT IT WAS TOLD ....

why do we presume he did it gratuitously???

wasnt he instructed to do it by the HOA?

ken

It could be either - the contractor thought it was a normal part of operations or the HOA asked them to do it. If you haven't been participating in the HOA governing process then this may be why you are now surprised and outraged. As mentioned earlier your first problem is that you are living in an HOA neighborhood. To me these often amount to the equivalent of condos with yards, with a similar attack and suppress the landscaping mindset tending to be evident in how properties within them look. But that is just a manifestation of a general, dominating perspective, that thinks neatness above all else is the rule - it is not usual for home lots to have fully planted, ecologically sensible and interesting outdoor spaces wherever you go. And in my area more than half of residences are rentals, with nobody on the premises having a motivation to do any serious gardening.

Unless they don't care that they are investing in property they do not own.

And the landlord doesn't care that they are installing features that may be seen as adding to the work and expense of maintaining the property.

In addition to the many who are driven to keep their yards as tidy as their household interiors just because they like to keep things clean there are those who associate heavy pruning of plants with sophistication and money, as there is a history of formal landscapes being installed around mansions and other imposing buildings.

Had you thought about volunteering for HOA landscaping committee or the governance board.?

I'm actually ON that committee. However, the HOA's governing body is really new and our process is kind of a mess, and I was somehow not consulted. I'm still trying to sort out what happened, but think this was basically one guy's decision.

Unbelievable. But I believe it. Town politics are bad enough. To have to have power contests with one's neighbors would be stressful. Sorry you have to deal with that. Well, good luck and clear thinking. You'll figure out an effective approach, I'm sure.

Marie

If you want a reference about how to prune correctly, look at this: http://gibneyce.com/17-all-about-proper-pruning.html

If your city still has control over the ROW and hasn't ceded control to property owner/HOA, call your Forestry Dept. You might be able to do something about the contractor's license or fine the HOA (even tho you are on Board, you should do right thing) for not adhering to ANSI standards.

Contact your city's forestry dept and ask if your street's Right Of Way trees are city or yours. Let me know.

As a retired Garden Designer and Landscape Contractor, I learned right away not to deal with HOAs. The politics, power struggles, and lack of the ability to make timely decisions, made it almost impossible to do business with them.

Mike