Tree removal project leaves behind mess in local homeowner's backyard

WHITE OAK, Pa. (KDKA) — A homeowner in White Oak said a contractor left a huge mess after cutting down three trees last week.

This all started last winter with a knock at the front door.

"The lady knocked on our door and said Duquesne Light is gonna cut your trees because they're close to the wires," homeowner Denise K. Salera said. "That's why they removed the dead trees."

"It was just kind of a statement? Not a question or permission?" KDKA-TV's Barry Pintar asked.

"No," Salera said.

A Duquesne Light contractor, Nelson Tree Service, showed up last week and cut down the three trees, but the crew left mounds of wood behind.

"I called them and asked about the stumps," Salera said. "They told me that's not our problem. That's your problem because you had them trees."

Salera and her husband, both 69 years old, live in the White Oak home, so even if they wanted to move the logs, they couldn't do it on their own. They've tried to do some, but the project is too much to handle.

"Nelson came to me on Monday, and he said, 'Sorry, that is not our problem. That is your problem because that's your property,'" Salera said.

KDKA-TV reached out to Nelson Tree Service but did not hear back on Thursday. Duquesne Light said it informs customers of their responsibility to dispose of any remaining wood. While it does haul away branches and limbs, it leaves additional wood stacked in manageable pieces.