Weather DOOM in NH Leads to Large Scale Tree Trimming by.... NH State?

Hey all. I'm taking time out from my other thread to discuss something that's happening with almost frighteningly increasing frequency in New Hampshire.

Microbursts have been popping up all over the place. Now, microbursts are actually something that a lot of folks didn't even know about. They may have once had a sort of vague notion of them, but most have been, "What's a microburst?"

[link to phoenix.about.com]

A microburst is a small, very intense downdraft that descends to the ground resulting in a strong wind divergence. The size of the event is typically less than 4 kilometers across. Microbursts are capable of producing winds of more than 100 mph causing significant damage. The life span of a microburst is around 5-15 minutes. [more at link]

Lately in NH [meaning the last couple of months], I have been hearing constant talk of microbursts. I have now been in the midst of THREE, myself.

This is something that, while not NEW to NH, is absolutely unprecedented in the amount, number, and consistency of them lately.

Here are a few links, please do a google search, you'll be surprised to find how much comes up for "NH microburst".

[link to news.yahoo.com]

[link to news.yahoo.com] [this one has been removed for some reason... it was about the Tilton MB]


Tilton microburst, might get through this time: [link to news.yahoo.com]



Now, these are only a FEW of what have made the News.


BUT NOW HERE IS WHERE IT GETS INTERESTING!!


For the last four months, I have noticed that all of a sudden, there are Asplundh trucks all over the place. A tree trimming service, for those who don't know.

What they have been doing is cutting away trees from near power lines. This activity is WIDESPREAD throughout my local area of Stratham, Portsmouth, Greenland, Rye, etc. I don't know if this is NH state doing this, or what... OR where they got the money to do this??

Anyway, it is a massive, major undertaking. They are even going down side streets, not only major streets, such as 33 and 108.

I live off of 33, and they have done a lot of hardcore trimming. In the 7 years I've lived in NH, I've seen nothing like it before. I've seen some trimming, sure. But NOT LIKE THIS. They are mutilating trees on a large scale. You practically can't go anywhere anymore without running into Asplundh trucks and being flagged past their work of removing tree limbs from anywhere near power lines.


Now, don't misunderstand... I'M GLAD! Very glad that they are doing it!




BUT... it says to my paranoid self that THEY KNEW we were going to have unprecedented weather. Why such a massive [and I do mean massive] undertaking in trimming trees just weeks before large numbers of microbursts are popping up?

And there are a LOT of microbursts happening that don't make the News. The three that I experienced weren't in the News, but people all over here are talking about it. Currently, everyone I speak to on a regular basis, and many I have just struck up chats with, either have been in one or know someone who has... and I'm talking in the past few weeks alone.

And all the local NH-ites [born here] state that "this isn't something I remember from childhood." It's not like growing up in NE or KS and just always experiencing tornadoes... this is a new thing here for there to be microbursts on a REGULAR BASIS!



Yes, yes, I know... all anecdotal. But I could take some pics of the massive scale tree trimming tomorrow if people want. Do some googling for microbursts in NH... there have been tons lately!


SOMETHING is going on, and I can't believe that they didn't KNOW! The timing is just far too coincidental, I'm sorry.

Anyway. Perhaps others from here will chime in on whether or not there's large scale unusual tree trimming in their area.

Last Edited by Sandi_T on 08/01/2012 07:17 PM