Delivering reliable electricity is our top priority. Through our Tree Care program we work year-round to prune branches and remove trees that could be troublesome and cause power outages.  In addition, we install highly sensitive monitoring equipment along the system to prevent momentary contact from wind-blown branches from turning into an outage.

Our team of licensed arborists work with qualified contractors throughout our service territory. These qualified contractors prune and remove trees along thousands of miles of lines to deliver safe, reliable electricity service to you.

Our crews use pruning standards endorsed by the Tree Care Industry Association. Our tree crews are committed to preserving as much of the trees’ natural beauty as possible, and consider the shape, strength, growth rate and appearance of the tree before pruning.

Our contractors will clear a minimum of 15 feet above the primary wire, a minimum of 8 feet to the side of a primary wire and will ground cut certain tree species underneath the wires.

During routine maintenance work, we will prune two feet around all service cables.

Once pruning is completed by our contractors, the brush will be chipped and wood larger than 3" in diameter will be left behind for the land owner's personal use. In some cases a chipping crew will follow within a few days to chip the brush that is left behind.

In most cases pruning can be healthy for trees. Making the correct cut at the branch collar will help with the tree’s natural defense mechanisms. Removing dead wood and other defections will improve the overall health and structure of the tree.

Consider planting dwarf trees or shrubs that won’t grow tall enough to threaten the lines. Follow the 50/50 rule by planting trees that grow to 50 feet tall, more than 50 feet away from the power lines. Before you begin planting, visit www.treesaregood.com for a step by step process for properly planting trees and shrubs.

In the event of a storm, severe weather or immediate hazard to safety or service, our tree contractors work with our line crews to remove downed trees, so that power can be restored safely and quickly. We do not perform wood clean up or brush removal of any debris resulting from the storm damage to our system.

We perform routine Tree Care on a 5 year cycle so that approximately 20% of the system is cleared every year. Once we have completed the entire cycle then we will start at the beginning again. In addition, we perform Tree Care as needed when trees are deemed “hazardous” to the system. These situations are identified when we are inspecting the system or performing restoration work.