Trees help protect our homes from elements, help beautify our areas, clean our air, and bring color to our lives. But trees can also be dangerous. During a storm any tree, even healthy ones, have potential to fall and cause damage to personal property and power lines. Trees near power lines can also become a direct pathway to injury. If a power line comes into contact with a tree, there is potential for someone to be seriously injured.
The purpose of PIE&G’s right of way clearing program is to help us provide you with safe and continuous electrical service. Trimming or removal of tree branches by the cooperative does occur on a regular basis. These tasks are done to help us accomplish our goal, by alleviating potential safety hazards and power interruptions.
In order to do this we need to keep our right of ways cleared to their maximum width. The widths of our right of ways do vary, with the maximum width being 40 feet (which is broken up into 20 feet on either side of the pole.) Also to help keep out right of way clear, we ask that you do not plant any new trees with in the power line right of way. The trees may appear small now, however, in a few years these trees will be large enough to cause problems.
In many cases trimmed trees do not look as natural and/or as beautiful as we would like them to be. If possible some concessions may be made in yard areas. However, we must keep safety in mind and sometimes we have no choice but to trim them.
If you are planning on removing trees that are close to our primary overhead power line, please contact our office and we will assist you. When clearing trees by your service drop (the wires from the primary line to your electrical meter at your dwelling), contact our office to temporarily disconnect and lower your drop. This service is provided free of charge and allows our members to safely remove trees.