We'll pluck no vine before its time, unless it gets into our power lines.

Lots of sunshine and a nice spring rain make the perfect vitamin combination for vegetation growth, which is at its peak this time of year. Trees, limbs and shrubbery often grow into power lines, creating hazards and increasing the chances of outages.

Jackson EMC's Right of Way Maintenance program requires a minimum clearance of 15 feet on either side of primary overhead power lines. By maintaining a clear area, we're able to keep an open maintenance corridor to conduct visual inspections of the line or get to the line quickly for repair.

We have a certified arborist on staff, and we use directional tree trimming to maintain clearances between trees and power lines. Directional tree trimming is a pruning technique that trains the tree to grow away from the power line by removing the branches that may come in contact with the wire. The International Society of Arboriculture, American National Standards Institute and the National Arbor Day Foundation recommend the directional method.

Pruning doesn't affect the health of trees; however, some trees may need significant trimming to maintain a safe distance from power lines. In those cases, removing the tree may be a

better option than leaving it susceptible to disease and death.

We'll be clearing approximately 1,200 miles of overhead primary power lines throughout our service territory this year. We'll try to notify you if your trees or shrubs need to be trimmed away from power lines.