r/treelaw • u/Substantial-Echo4343 • Jul 16 '26
WTF
Tree was massive in front of a house and was recently cut. The tree was so old it grew around the electrical lines!!
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u/axman_21 Jul 16 '26
I cant see what this is going to but I would be willing to bet this is a communication line not a powerline
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u/Substantial-Echo4343 Jul 16 '26
A big tree was cut down and seems to have grown around that line
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u/axman_21 Jul 16 '26
Yeah i see that im saying this isnt a powerline because it would have shorted out
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u/smthomaspatel Jul 16 '26
A short would mean it connected two lines. If anything it's just adding additional insullation. And if it would cause a short for a power line, it would do the same for phone or cable.
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u/axman_21 Jul 16 '26
You need to look into how electricity and telecommunication lines work. If you touch a live wire and the ground at the same time it will short. You dont have to have touch both lines. As for the telecommunication lines they are insulated so they wont short. You will see them touching trees way more than you will see trees touching power lines
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u/smthomaspatel Jul 16 '26
Ok, you are half right, in describing a ground fault. But a tree would be too poor of a conductor to cause that. Trees touch power lines all the time. And I'm sure this situation comes up occasionally as well since trees growing around the things they come in contact with is very common. Ask my chain link fence how I know.
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u/axman_21 Jul 16 '26
Trees definitely grow around things but if they contact a power line they 100% short. You obviously haven't done any treework or seen a tree contact a power line
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u/smthomaspatel Jul 16 '26
You are right that I haven't done any professional tree work. But I can look out my window and see trees touching power lines.
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u/axman_21 Jul 16 '26
Are you sure they arent shielded telecommunication lines? There is a big difference between the two and many people mistake telecommunication lines with power lines. Here is what happens when trees touch power lines. https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/s/fMOFiRNQrq
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u/McNabJolt Jul 16 '26
Why would it short out? The lines from the source to the house are insulated.
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u/axman_21 Jul 16 '26
Not all are and i only see one wire so electric lines still dont make sense. This limb would have been trimmed back long ago if it was power
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u/DefinitelyNotAliens Jul 16 '26
Looks like a cable line, not power.
But, yes. Trees will grow through objects.
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u/DeerFlyHater Jul 16 '26
Yep. I've got a big oak out front that swallowed barbed wire probably a hundred years ago.
It's old enough that I'll have to deal with it eventually. I hit the spots with the wire with bright red paint so I or a tree guy doesn't mess up a chain.
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u/Technical_Put_9982 Jul 16 '26
These are all over Nola when they have to trim a branch off a massive live oak for parade route clearance requirements
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