Tree trimming near power lines

Line clearance tree trimming

Trees are a natural, beautiful part of our environment in the Pacific Northwest. But they are also the number one cause of power outages. Trees will cause outages not only by falling onto power lines but by growing into them as well. To maintain safe, reliable power, we trim and selectively remove trees all year round.

We utilize the latest industry standards for Utility Vegetation Management to comply with federal, state, and local regulations. In most cases, we apply the directional pruning method to encourage growth away from the lines.

For your safety, tree work within 10 feet of a primary conductor needs to be performed by a qualified electrical worker!

Process

Prior to any tree work (except emergencies), we will dispatch one of our ISA Certified Arborists to evaluate a set of lines and identify any necessary vegetation maintenance. The Arborist will then notify landowners via door hanger, mail, phone, or email of our intent to trim. If removal of the whole tree is deemed necessary, the Arborist will discuss this with the landowner and request a signed authorization form.

At that point, a tree-trimming crew will be scheduled. If it’s a large project, a crew may not be scheduled for several months. When tree crews are in your neighborhood, they’ll be working both in the road and from private property. The tree crews may ask for the work area to be cleared including cars, flower pots, yard ornaments, etc. Tree work may also require flagging a lane of traffic.  We appreciate your patience during these activities.

Questions?

If you have any questions regarding our tree-trimming work or would like a PUD Arborist to review trees around your lines, give us a call at 425-783-5579 (Monday-Friday, 7 am to 3:30 pm). Please note that the PUD does not maintain vegetation around service lines or standalone communication lines.

There are various ways to trim trees growing into power lines, depending on the position of the tree:

Watch our video: