Trees, limbs and shrubbery often grow into power lines, creating hazards and increasing the chances of outages. Our right of way maintenance program allows a clearance of 15 feet on either side of overhead power lines. Maintaining a clear area helps us keep an open maintenance corridor to conduct visual line inspections and get to lines quickly for repair.

We have a certified arborist on staff, and we use the directional tree trimming method 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 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. We'll leave a door hanger notifying you if trees need to be removed.

You can help us maintain power line clearance as well by reporting trees and vegetation growing into power lines. Be sure to call your local district office, and help us reduce the risk of outages and safety hazards.