‘Ugly’ trees have locals hacked off at utility pruning; Frenchs Forest, Australia

‘Ugly’ trees have locals hacked off - Local News - News Cumberland Courier:
TREES lining Kens Rd in Frenchs Forest have been cut back so severely by Energy Australia that they resemble telegraph poles, local residents say.
On Thursday contractors for the energy company hacked at trees up and down Kens Rd and surrounding streets to clear branches from the powerlines.
“They have made them look like telegraph poles,” resident Peter Tweedie said. “They’ve lopped off all the branches so they might as well have cut them down and planted new trees.”
Mr Tweedie said the work had left the street with ugly skeletons of trees.
“You would have to see it to believe it,” he said. “It is pretty unsightly and looks as though it was not done properly.”
A spokesman for Energy Australia said the work was carried out to prevent power outages caused by tree branches coming into contact with overhead power lines.