EDMONTON -- Several homeowners in the Blue Quill neighbourhood say their community is a little less green this week after a number of trees were cut down by an electric company. 

AltaLink has been trimming trees in the community over the past few weeks, with the company saying some of the branches were coming too close to power lines. 

But Blue Quill Estates residents had hoped to keep the trees standing and say the removal process has been a disruptive one. 

"Devastation. You can't bring it back," said Karen Davidson. "Right after the chainsaw stops the chipper truck comes along and chips all the trees."

"Seven in the morning, every morning, I cry. It’s devastating. I can’t understand it."

Davidson says residents petitioned the company to save the trees and presented it with alternatives to clearing them out. 

"We didn’t get any response," said Davidson. 

The company says removing the trees wasn't an easy decision but that continuing to top trees every few years had become unfeasible. 

"As a regulated company we have a responsibility to operate the lines, we also have a responsibility to manage the costs to the ratepayers that pay for the operation of these lines," said Scott Schreiner with AltaLink. 

"The risk of these taller trees growing into the lines can be significant. It can mean power outages or even worse case it could mean a fire and those affect thousands of people."

Davidson and others will have to get used to the new tree-less view as the company says it has no plans to replant any new trees in the area. 

With files from Amanda Anderson