Dig It Man

Image: Old electric overhead lines in downtown Galva, Illinois.


From years of working at a public gas and electric utility, I've heard all the complaints about utility tree trimming practices.


A good portion of the problem stems from the public's lack of knowledge on exactly how and why tree trimming is done. I thought a short summary might help gardeners make better decisions around the yard.

Myth Buster:
No one sits behind a desk and says, "Now let's see how we can trim trees to make our customers unhappy and the trees ugly." Really! I've never known one forestry man or arborist that doesn't appreciate and admire healthy trees. They are dedicated to preserving and enhancing trees where possible and suitable.

Tree trimming is performed for one major reason: To prevent electrical situations/outages that can hurt or destroy humans and property.

• Outages affect the reliability of service to customers and is monitored and regulated by both the utility and the state's Commerce Commission.
• Utilities follow the National Arbor Society guidelines for tree trimming.
• Outages and damages are not only difficult for our customers but they cost the company a lot of money during the restoration process. That goes back to the cost to operate the utility which in turn will eventually affect the cost of the product you buy.
• Trees planted on easements and city right-of-ways can be trimmed or removed by the easement holder. They do not NEED your permission because the original easement has granted that permission.

What you can do:

• Do not ever plant a tree under or close to an overhead electric line that has any chance to grow near or into the lines.
• Consider having large old trees replaced with a more appropriate sized tree.

You can expect your tree to be trimmed or removed if:

• A tree can be climbed by a person and that will put him/her in a position to touch a line.
• A tree/branch is in a position that if it falls, it will damage the line.
• A branch will rub an electric line which can burn, damage, or energize the tree.
• Prevents access to the lines when they need maintenance or repairs.
• A tree is damaged or rotten.

Story #1:

An entire line of beautiful big fir trees bordering the front of a country property had the tops removed by the utility. It was unsightly and the homeowners and public were very upset.

Step back in time and another story is of a beautiful fir tree that was situated under the electric lines which had not been trimmed. A child climbed that tree and was killed when he touched a branch that had become energized because it was touching the line.

That child can never be replaced nor can the sorrow be eliminated to his loved ones. What can and did happen was a stricter tree trimming policy was implemented. That was the policy that mandated the entire line of fir trees must now be topped.

Story #2:

When a small town was hit by high straight line winds, many of the beautiful old trees lining the streets were toppled along with trees and branches on personal property.

Those trees were a source of pride for the community and there was much sadness at the loss. Most of those large growing trees were planted prior to customers realizing the outage ramifications some fifty plus years later.

The restoration of electric service to this community took much longer because of the need to cut and remove trees and branches. It was also prolonged because of the extensive number of outages due to tree damage. Many homeowners had to hire electricians to fix damage to their customer-owned services. In other words, homes were without power for a much longer time because of damage from large trees and the cost to the customers and utility were much higher.

This city now mandates only low growing trees be planted on municipal right-of-ways. Low growing trees can still be damaged by high winds but they will not cause prolonged electric outages and expense for you or an entire community.

These are but two of the many many examples I could give. I hope that you consider the needs of your electric utility when you plant trees, bushes and vines. If unsure of the guidelines, call them. Or, if you have underground electric, gas, water, telephone or cable services call JULIE (both in the yellow pages.)