Planning, Planting, and Pruning
Trees can bring beauty and shade to your yard, but if proper care and planning are not considered, they can also present a potential electrical hazard. Safe Electricity shares tips to help you avoid such dangers through needed pruning and planting trees in locations where they will not grow into overhead power lines.
Water, sap, and chemicals in trees make them able to conduct electricity. Be sure that no one climbs a tree near power lines. If branches are touching the wires, the tree could be energized. Even branches not touching power lines could become energized if a child’s weight is added.
Severe weather can cause tree limbs to fall. If the trees are located near overhead power lines, they can damage the electrical wires that provide you and your neighbors with power, resulting in downed lines and power outages.
“When trees grow into or near power lines, they pose a threat to safety and to the reliability of your electrical service. Pruning is an important and necessary step in helping prevent these issues,” explains Molly Hall, executive director of the Energy Education Council and its Safe Electricity program.
Trimming trees near power lines is a dangerous job and best left to professionals. As reported by Lehigh Valley Live in October 2016, a New Jersey man lost his life when he made contact with a power line while cutting down a tree. Before the accident, he was aware of the wire, but he slipped, touching the line with a gas-powered saw. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
In order to help maintain safety and electrical service reliability, your utility may either prune trees that are too close to power lines or will contact a tree trimming service to do so. Although simply trimming a tree is usually enough, some trees that are at risk of damaging power lines during severe weather—like dead or dying trees or those with a shallow root system—may need removed completely.
If you live in an area where there is a risk of wildfire, keep in mind that it is recommend that you create a defensible space around the perimeter of your home to slow or stop the spread of a fire. Within 30 feet from your home and structure, trim trees to a minimum of 10 feet from other trees and remove branches that hang over the roof.
When planting new trees, take care to plan for safety. Pick the right types of trees to plant in the right locations where they will not grow to be a problem with overhead power lines. It is also important to consider the location of underground lines. Remember to call 811 to have buried utilities marked so that you can safely dig around them.
Make sure you know the expected mature height and width of the tree. Plant tall growing trees with a mature height of greater than 40 feet at least 50 feet away from lines to avoid future pruning. A mature height of less than 15 feet is recommended if planting near lines. Keep in mind, trees should never be planted directly under power lines, near poles, or too close to electrical equipment.
For more information on electrical safety, visit SafeElectricity.org.