Whether in your community or watching the news, you may have seen the forces of nature in action as strong winds toppled trees in last year's rash of hurricanes.

Hundreds of trees ended up taking down power lines and line crews often worked through brush and debris to make repairs. Jackson EMC does its part to decrease the chance of outages whenever possible and ensure the safety of members and line crews at the same time with our continuous Right of Way Maintenance program.

Our four-year maintenance program calls for us to clear access to an average of 1,200 miles of overhead primary power lines throughout our service territory each year. At the end of the four years, we will have cleared 4,800 miles around overhead primary lines and start the process over again. Clearing includes trimming tree limbs and mowing vegetation within a 15-foot area on either side of power lines.

"The four-year maintenance program will not only save members money by decreasing our yearly trimming visits, it will also help ensure safety. When trees fall on lines, the power surges can result in brownouts or blackouts. Even worse is when trees and vegetation grow around overhead lines, making them conductors. Even though outages don't occur, contact with them could be dangerous, even deadly," says Cliff Mize, Jackson EMC right of way line foreman. "When our crews arrive to repair lines, they need clear access to see the lines and determine the quickest and safest way for power restoration."

Wondering if the maintenance program will interfere with your planted trees
and shrubs?

We respect your property, and we'll attempt to notify you if your plants need to be trimmed away from power lines. We will only trim if planted items pose a potential threat or hazard to power lines.

We're professionals and know the hazards to look for around power lines. You deserve the peace-of-mind in knowing your loved ones aren't in harm's way around your property's trees due to power lines. That's why we take our maintenance program so seriously — your and your loved ones' safety is important to us.