“Tree pruning also happens routinely, and legally, by arrangement between billboard operators and PRIVATE landowners. The industry has lobbied for STATE laws to allow tree-cutting along public highways under certain conditions. According to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, the industry trade group, 29 states, including Florida, have “reasonable” regulations on clearing vegetation that blocks views of signs. The group says on its website: “The OAAA discourages vegetation control that is not in compliance with STATE and local laws and regulations.

“In 2008, Lamar was sued by the state of Connecticut after the company and a tree service trespassed on state land and removed 83 trees along Interstate 84, including oak, spruce, maple and birch trees up to 37 inches in diameter. They “swept a swath of destruction,” said then-Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, “obliterating a vital environmental buffer protecting homeowners from noxious noise and views.

“The problem was that Lamar had a permit to trim—not cut down—trees. It also felled trees outside the permitted area”.

The power company has the same type of language to protect their investment.