Does the Urban Forestry Administration trim trees that are located around utility wires?
We do trim trees to our specifications that are planted under or near utility lines, but we do not trim these trees for line clearance. Law requires that the owners of the wires (utility companies, phone companies, cable companies) prune to maintain clearance around their lines. For example, PEPCO has a yearly maintenance schedule that they follow to conduct this type of pruning for their energized lines that carry electricity to the many homes and buildings within the District. Some companies that have lines that are not energized, such as cable TV and phone lines, do not prune unless a line breaks or is ready to break (these lines are located low on the poles). Go to the Urban Forestry Administration’s Pruning Guidelines to learn more. To learn more about PEPCO’s line clearance operations, go to their website at www.pepco.com.
