There are thousands of trees across our city, which beautify and add great benefit to our community. Although most trees do not present a problem, some of them are planted in the wrong place and are too close to power lines. This can cause power outages and safety risks. When greenery becomes too close to power lines, trimming is necessary to prevent power outages. Beyond outage concerns, trees in proximity to power lines are a fire and safety risk, can cause electric system damage, and cause the lights in your house to flicker.

 

For its line clearance program, CWLP and its contractors use three main tree-trimming methods to redirect tree branches from power lines. The preferred method for pruning trees for utility line clearance involves directional pruning. Branches that grow toward power lines are pruned back to a lateral branch that is at least one-third the diameter of the branch being removed. This technique promotes effective wound closure and mitigates excessive sprouting. Directional pruning also minimizes the removal of leaves essential for a tree’s food production and results in the removal of fewer branches.