MUNCIE — Sara Mong, a retired garden center manager, returned to her Weber Drive home recently to find a door hanger from Indiana Michigan Power stating that tree growth regulator, a slightly toxic pesticide, would be applied to her property.
The notice provided a telephone number to call if she wished for an explanation of the work before it started. But when she called the number, more than once, it was disconnected.
"It's one thing for them to come and cut your trees, which has everybody up in arms," she said.. "But just to come and put poison on your property, that's not right."
I&M spokesman Tracy Warner said the company has treated hundreds of thousands of trees with growth regulator, to slow the growth of trees, starting more than a decade ago. More than 22,000 trees will be treated this year.
" … Trees and power lines are a bad combination," Warner said. "Trees are the number one source of outages during weather events."
I&M's vegetation management expenses last year, including tree trimming/removal, herbicide applications and tree growth regulators, exceeded $27 million.
The tree growth regulator or retardant extends the length of time before a tree needs to be trimmed. "That lowers costs and reduces the occasions when we need to access a customer's property," Warner said.
Because a telephone line had been cut in the southern United States, the phone number for Mong to call — (866)- 386-3256 — was out of service, but for less than 36 hours, Warner said. An I&M contractor that applies the product has since called Mong and informed her that the material won't be injected into the soil around any trees in her yard.
I&M always notifies customers in advance and provides the number to call if they don't want the product to be used, Warner said.