A KAREELA resident said his tree was hacked so severely by Ausgrid contractors that it was close to death.
Stuart Wood said he received a letter on a Friday stating tree maintenance contractors would be starting work on his street the following week.
Mr Wood said the letter, sent by Utility Asset Management on behalf of Ausgrid, would be sending crews to trim branches near power lines.
He said he took the letter's advice and contacted the number provided to deny permission for crews to enter his property.
"I said, 'I give no consent until he [the contract manager] tells me what they are trimming'. I looked at my property and saw nothing touching or over the wires."
Mr Wood said his palm tree was severely trimmed.
"They hacked into the tree," he said.
"I've shown pictures to two arborists, and both can't believe what they have done.
"They've basically killed it."
An Ausgrid spokesman denied contractors had entered the property or hacked the palm.
"An arborist inspected the palm tree this morning [July 13] and found the fronds, which would have been growing about 50 centimetres away from the power lines, have been trimmed appropriately.
"The head of the palm tree has not been trimmed and the fronds will regrow and require regular pruning to help ensure a safe electricity supply for the local community.
"Ausgrid will contact the customer to discuss his concerns and options for removing the palm tree as well as advice on species that are appropriate for planting near the electricity network.
"The contractors who performed this work trimmed the tree from an elevated work platform, commonly known as a cherry picker, on the street and did not enter the private property."
Have you noticed any trees that have been cut severely by Ausgrid?