Trees cause 9 percent of outages. Your cooperative spends an enormous amount of time and money clearing and trimming dangerous trees. Trees that grow into power lines cause flickering lights, outages, and fires.
Right Tree, Right Place
The right tree in the right place can help you save money and keep your family safe from electrical accidents. Follow the advice below to make sure you plant trees correctly.
The Right Tree
When planting near power lines, choose trees that will grow no higher than 25 feet at maturity. Power-friendly trees like these give you many options for spring and fall color, tree shape and size, and fruit. Consult your local nursery or www.arborday.org for help with selecting the right tree.
The Right Place
When fully grown, the canopy of trees should be at least 20 feet away from an overhead power line. For large trees, such as spruces and maples, this means planting a tree more than 50 feet from a power line. You should also plant bushes and trees at least 12 feet away from pad-mounted equipment.
Plant Safely
Don’t forget to have utility lines located before you even touch your shovel. Underground lines could include electrical, telephone, cable, and gas. Some utility lines are not buried deeply. Hitting any of these lines could be dangerous and very costly to repair. CALL 811 AT LEAST 2 DAYS BEFORE YOU DIG to have lines located.
Look Up Before You Prune Your Tree
STAY AT LEAST 10 FEET AWAY FROM OVERHEAD POWER LINES when pruning trees. If you need to prune a tree that is too close to a power line, call us at 208-652-7431 or 800-632-5726. Accidents can happen even without coming into direct contact with a line.
Right-of-way Maintenance
Fall River maintains a 10 foot right-of-way on either side of power lines. The right-of-way reduces outages and keeps you safe from electrical accidents and fires. If you notice a tree that is growing into a power line, please let us know.
