LOG IN OUTAGE PAY BILL CONTACT Jackson, MI 30° RESIDENTIAL BUSINESS COMMUNITY COMPANY Trees and Power Lines How We Mitigate the Spread of Oak Wilt During Spring and Summer our trimmers take strict precautions to mitigate the spread of Oak Wilt by following these guidelines from MichiganOakWilt.org Tree Trimming and You The Trimming Process What You Can Expect When We Trim Trees Contact Tree Management How to Contact our Tree Trimming Team Vegetation Management Explore the Different Ways We Manage Vegetation Frequently Asked Questions Your Questions Answered What to Do if a Power Line is Down If a tree branch or entire tree falls on an electric line: Call 9-1-1 first Then immediately call us at 800-477-5050 DO NOT TOUCH THE BRANCH, TREE OR LINE Safety Facts about Trees and Power Lines: Always assume a power line is energized and dangerous. Power lines are not insulated; if you touch one you will be severely injured or even killed. Don’t cut down trees or branches near power lines. Leave that to our crews. Don’t allow children to climb in trees near power lines. When removing objects from a tree, stay clear of power lines. Never let your ladder touch a power line. Tree Health and Planting Tips Tree Diseases and Smart Planting Learn How We’re Keeping Michigan Trees healthy, and Tips for Planting New Trees Managing Trees for Safe and Reliable Energy Our customers depend on us to deliver safe and reliable electricity. Our expert Tree Management Team follows established forestry guidelines to ensure that trees don’t interrupt your service, using qualified line-clearance contractors to safely clear trees and vegetation that could interfere with our powerlines. When trimming trees and managing vegetation, we follow clearance standards that vary based on the voltage of nearby electric lines. Many factors influence the decision to trim or cut trees, such as species, location, and health of the tree. Sometimes trees within the utility right-of-way easement, or growing close to it, will need to be removed to ensure safe and reliable service. What Will We Repair? What is the Homeowners Responsibility? See What Components of Your Electric System We Will Repair and What You Need to Repair What to Expect When We Trim Trees A Forestry Planner marks trees or brush that need maintenance. • Trees to be trimmed are marked with a blue dot. • Trees to be cut down are marked with a blue X. If outside the easement they will be marked with a blue A. • Brush to be cleared may be marked with a blue slash ( / ). We assign qualified tree-trimming contractors. Here’s how we handle clean-up. • On lawns brush is usually chipped. Larger wood is cut into pieces and left onsite. • In unmaintained areas brush is either piled in windrows (creating habitat for wildlife and suppressing future tree growth) or mulched and scattered within the easement area. • If trees are cut down, stumps are cut as close to the ground as possible and treated with a herbicide to prevent regrowth. • Following storms, trees and limbs may be cleared so crews can make repairs to electric service. In this case wood, limbs and debris are all left on-site. Other Ways We Manage Vegetation We use different techniques to manage vegetation along powerlines and pipelines. We may use several of the methods below to manage the vegetation on or near your property. Manual Cutting: A tree crew using a bucket truck and chainsaws. Mechanical Cutting: Larger mower with mulching heads or off-road vehicles with saws mounted on aerial booms. Herbicide Applications: Used to prevent stumps from sprouting new growth, or to control brush growth in the right-of-way. When using herbicide, we use selective methods that target trees and brush. Cultural Controls: We sometimes lease property we own to farmers for agricultural production. When a farmer grows a crop on our land it is a win-win - they produce a crop and keep trees and brush from growing at the same time. Frequently Asked Questions How do you handle debris from trimming or removal of vegetation? Will you trim or cut down a tree from the service drop to my home? Do you trim trees for all the wires attached to your poles? What do the paint marks mean on my trees or bushes? When are the tree crews coming to my property? Can I get the firewood or wood chips? Do you use herbicide? Do I have to be home when the tree crew comes? Will you cut down my dead tree? How do I report a tree near a powerline I am concerned about? Contact Our Tree Management Team Don’t miss a chance to reserve your spot in the Demand Response program. Only a limited number of openings are available to Michigan businesses each year. Fill out this short form and an Energy Solutions Manager will contact you within two business days. 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