There was never any question whether the subcontractor tree trimming company did the deed.
The Foreman of the crew that did the tree trimming (and illegal/trespassing/heavy equipment road building) isn't the brightest bulb in the box.
He is also a working member of the tree trimming crew.

1.) He sent me a voicemail and stated his crew did cut the two heavy equipment roads, and asked "what could he do to make it right."
I have saved that voicemail and distributed it as needed. Both Corporate defendants received a copy. He identified himself by name, and the company name in that voicemail from his company supplied phone.

2.) At my on site meeting addressing the trespassing, that same Foreman made three statements in front of sworn Law Enforcement personnel. (The NYS DEC Police Officer, and he wrote every statement the Foreman made in his "official case files" field notebook. My lawyer got that official case file information via subpoena)
a.) The Foreman stated that his crew did the trespassing/road building.
b.) The Foreman stated he knew it was wrong to trespass and build the heavy equipment roads in my woods, and even knowing it was wrong, he still did it.
c.) The Foreman stated that the power company paid the tree trimming company "by the mile" of easement tree trimming, time is money, and he didn't have time to follow laws, rules and regulations.

The only question remaining is how much the two corporate defendants are willing to pay so this problem goes away. Trials are expensive for all parties involved.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: cee_Kamp,

Clearly that foreman is not the sharpest tool in the shed, based on his actions, and then contacting you and admitting it.

OTOH, don't forget the solar panel for the roof of the hunting shed, having free electric for charging devices like a phone will be nice.

quote:

c.) The Foreman stated that the power company paid the tree trimming company "by the mile" of easement tree trimming, time is money, and he didn't have time to follow laws, rules and regulations.

Do the general public a favor and make sure the settlement is punitive enough that this ass clown is forced to make time for following laws, rules, and regulations.

Unfortunately, the power company and their subcontractor tree trimming associates fear the Federal & State Governments much more than me and my trivial lawsuit.
The Federal & State Governments both fine utilities for having excessive power outages from not trimming out power line easements. My particular power company has been fined millions of dollars for not keeping after the easement tree trimming, and for having seriously poor customer service.

They don't give a shit about my tiny lawsuit, and won't change a single thing concerning their operations.

I can only hope for a few bucks, and possibly a
meaningful plan for future tree trimming visits where they actually call me in advance so
I can plan on opening the locked gate so they can access the easement without cutting roads in my woods.

Am I the only one who would like to know the outcome of your negotiations?
I can think of three possibilities:
You have settled, but had to sign a NDA.
You are still negotiating.
You have to go to trial and are still waiting.
Please give those of us who pulling for you an update.

Thanks for asking!

Still negotiating.
NDA will likely be part of any settlement.
It might go directly to a summary judgement.
My lawyer isn't exactly pleased with opposing counsel and the lack of communication speed.

Deer season was a bust. Several of the adjoining property owners are aging out.
They no longer participate in deer drives.
This is limiting how/when/where deer run around in the valley.
We see tons of action with the multiple trail camera's during non hunting season.
But this is the worst year in 20+ years for lack of activity during the season.

Still, it was a wonderful time with friends & family for being outdoors!
I did get my GF a DeWalt battery powered heated coat for Christmas.
It's more for her work (heavy highway construction Engineer) but she can also use it during hunting season when she isn't inside the heated shack.

Speaking about the shack, after using it for a hunting season, I'm totally pleased with how it turned out.

We had an unexpected guest for a month. GF's Dad flew here from Florida for
deer season. (he's formerly from here) He was planning on splitting deer season time evenly between his Son & Daughter. (Son is my GF's brother)
Anyway, Dad & Son had a bit of a dust up several days after Dad arrived from Florida and ended up staying a month with us.

For 2025, I need to step up my food plot setup. I'm initially considering a pumpkin patch.

Several weeks ago we got a post card in the mail from the power company.
It said a forester rep from the tree trimming folks would come to the house and talk.
They were doing some easement tree trimming nearby the house.

They visited and we briefly chatted, and the nearby tree trimming
was completed without any issues.

I gave the post card to my lawyer and explained what had happened.
It proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the power company and tree trimming company
have a system in place that notifies customers that tree trimming will take place.

That existing/in place system was ignored/abandoned when they worked at the recreational
property.

My lawyer and I laughed about it, they had just proved their own guilt.

I made some property care machinery changes today.

I traded in my John Deere X 720 garden tractor and replaced it Kubota BX 2370 diesel.
Both machines have 60" decks so I won't gain any time savings from deck width.

The Kubota BX 2370 being diesel should fix my fuel expenses complaint nicely.

So now I own an almost matched pair of diesel Kubota BX tractors.
The tractor/loader/backhoe variant for dirt work/snow removal/ bush hogging.
The other will be strictly for mowing lawn at the house and cabin/recreational property.

IMG_20220504_144959812_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

IMG_20250201_105706377_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

IMG_20250201_105716398_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

IMG_20250201_105726287_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

9494 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

9492 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

IMG_20190711_200322180 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

Not tempting anyone.
https://youtu.be/U_mfqBUTvHg

Yeah, a cab tractor is great in the winter, but glass panels are real easy to smash out in my woods. Thought about it and decided against cabs for my usage.

quote:

Originally posted by cee_Kamp:
..... Thought about it and decided against cabs for my usage.

Same here. They're expensive, noisy, make the tractor more tippy, and make it harder to jump on and off of. And let's face it, part of the allure of using your tractor is being outside. OTOH if I had to routinely work long hours out in the sun and 100* heat, an air conditioned cab would be nice to have.

So you have two BX tractors, one for mowing the other with a bucket and hoe. I guess it saves you swapping implements.

I ran an open station John Deere for 28 years.

I LOVE my cab. Warm in Winter, cool in Summer, bug free.

The science says the center of gravity is higher and therefore the tractor is more prone to tipping, but my butt-o-meter hasn't detected any significant difference. Much of that is no doubt because I operate on relatively level ground.

Glass damage in the woods would be a HUGE issue, but I don't operate in the woods. I have broken one mirror snuggling up too close to trees when mowing.

Climbing in/out vs. on/off is not much of an issue for me either. Only time I even notice it is when hooking up 3 point hitch equipment and having to diddle the 3 point lift lever.

If I had a mounted backhoe and had to climb in and out every time I wanted to move the machine, I can see where that would become a major pain in the ass.

In fact, I have my eye on a derelict open station John Deere for just that reason. If I can buy it right, I'd put a hoe on it.

^^^ @ridewv, yes it's all about minimizing shuffling implements. Also fuel efficiency, diesel vs gasoline.

I have validated my no cab decision over the last several years.

In the above photos doing the massive snow dump cleanup using the loader/backhoe equipped BX 25, you can clearly see the two LED light bars mounted on the sides of the ROPS.
They both have been smashed and ripped off the ROPS while working the machine in the woods. The forward/rearward facing LED light bars haven't sustained any damage yet.
Only the L/R side mounted pair sustained damage.

If tree limbs/trunks can reach out and "touch" the side mounted light bars, think what would happen to the multi-thousand dollars of glass panels on a cab tractor.

The front/rear facing LED light bars provide far more than sufficient illumination for nighttime snow removal, which I generally prefer to daytime.
Less vehicular traffic at night, and a much better chance of seeing any vehicular traffic because of their headlights being on.
Cars/trucks routinely whiz by the end of my driveway going 55 plus.

As far as woods work being done after dark, that would be a recipe for disaster.

Yes, sometimes it really sucks being outside and exposed to the cold or heat. Breaking a glass panel on a cab tractor would generate a supreme rant thread!

In the below photo from September, 2023 you will note the side mounted LED bars are gone. I won't be replacing them.
Pay no attention to the small dent in the rear fender deck just forward of the left rear tail light.
I will pound the dent out from inside the wheel well with a rubber hubcap hammer the next time I have that left rear tire off the machine.

Working a tractor in the woods is an entirely different situation from open field and driveway conditions.

IMG_20230920_164800040_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

I have had no problem with the power companies in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties.

In Loudoun County, the Spanish workers shit in the creek where I pump water and stole the bucket I use to prime the pump.

When I contacted the Power Company, they brought me two new buckets and apologized.

In Fairfax County, when putting in a new underground cable, the backhoe operator put one of the support feet in the flower bed wiping out azaleas, iris, and other plants while leaving six inch depressions in the soil. They asked me for a bill of the damage and paid me the $1200 I was quoted by a local nursery.

Deer love grass so you need to expand the area by cutting down the brush and plant areas with Crimson clover. winter rye, and other grass seed that you can get at the local farm store.

It is nice that you have a source of water so a small watering hole is icing on the cake.

Next, plant some White Oak trees and/or Dunstan chestnuts around the perimeter:

https://chestnuthilltreefarm.c...op/dunstan-chestnut/

https://musserforests.com/prod...e-oak-tree-seedlings

So now the deer have every thing they need. So when the rut starts, the bucks need does so where do they go??

The NJ outlaws will think the hard winter killed off the deer.

41,
Thank you for the tree advice.
I have been looking at some of the "grafted" apple trees which can bear fruit within a few years.

Stark Nurseries came close to bankruptcy in the past and slashed their prices on trees to unload their stock with apples trees at $10 or less. Here is an old thread:

https://sigforum.com/eve/forum...710022574#4710022574

Looks like White and Bur oaks have the lowest tannin which make them more desirable for deer and bear. We use to hunt bear with a group out of Beech Grove in the mid 50's. Three Ridges had a lot of White oaks and they usually killed 30+ bears a year.

I buy pots from Greenhouse Megastore:

https://www.greenhousemegastor...ons%5Bprefix%5D=last

I used this pot which is 4X5 by 14 inches for rooting Dunstan chestnut seed:

https://www.greenhousemegastor...riant=42701231685831

I use the Pro Mix foe starting seedlings:

https://www.acehardware.com/de...3bwFAYBoCfg8QAvD_BwE

Shop around for the best price in your area.

One of the biggest problems is squirrels. They will dig in your pots and ruin/kill potted trees. One time I moved a dozen or so potted Dunstan seedlings from the garage to the driveway and within an hour, a squirrel had dug all the seedlings out of the pots. They also chewed the wiring on the truck while I was in the hospital.

I would research acorn trees for bearing time, season crop year-to-year, and desirability. Also consider planting persimmons, and crab apples trees.

Here is the larger pot (5 gallon size) I got which is well made and reusable:

https://www.greenhousemegastor...nd-black-nursery-pot

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 41,