Vegetation Management FAQ

Yes. Our qualified contractors are always looking for customers to accept wood chips.

Wood chips:

• Are available to members on a first come, first serve basis at no charge
• Can be delivered at your request
• Will be delivered in areas the contractors are working in
• Can be delivered in up to 12 cubic yards (3 to 4 pick-up truck loads)

The wood chips consist of multiple tree species, are irregular in shape and color, and can include some twigs and rakings. When requesting information, please specify a location for the wood chips to be dumped.

Our standards are based on several factors:

• The minimum safe working distance for a tree worker
• How much trees sway in high winds
• The amount of ice on a tree before it touches a power line
• The ability of limbs to break and fall on lines
• The varying growth and regrowth rates of different species of trees

South Central Power’s goal is to deliver safe and dependable service to our service territory.

Your trees may not be actually touching the wires, at this time, but they could be close enough to sway into the lines in high winds. The electric line is bare mental, high voltage wire, which can cause burning and eventually degrade the quality of the wire.

Also all the trees on this feeder should be on the same approximate maintenance schedule. This improves reliability to everyone on the circuit and reduces the number of trips we have to make to maintain that reliability. The amount of time that it takes to restore power is also reduced. Pruning limbs before they cause a problem is ideal. By doing so, we can direct the growth away from the lines.

That depends on a lot of different factors:

• The proximity of your tree to our lines
• The growth habit of the tree
• The size of the limbs that need to be removed
• The availability of suitable lateral limbs to trim to
• Other pruning that has been done to the tree

Only during emergency situations would a lineman do tree pruning. South Central Power hires qualified contractors to do their maintenance trimming.

If overhead electric lines service your home:

• Never get too close to the lines
• Don’t take tools or other objects near the lines

Underground electric service:

• Never dig until you know where the lines are buried
• To have underground lines located and marked at no charge, call (800) 362-2764
• If you have questions or concerns about where to plant, contact us at (800) 282-5064

Residents can help South Central Power minimize tree-related outages and ensure the beauty of their landscapes through thoughtful planting of new trees. Trees should be planted at least as far away from the lines as the trees’ natural spread. Spreading trees, such as elms, oaks and maples, are common outage-causing culprits and should be planted at least 50 feet away from power lines.

Before planting trees on your property, the location of utility lines should be considered:

• Are lines overhead or underground?
• Never dig near underground utility lines
• Future access to these underground lines should be considered when planting

You should never get near electric lines or use any kind of equipment close to a line. If tree branches have grown near power lines, you should contact South Central Power so they can schedule a utility forester to evaluate your trees.

South Central Power Company prunes/cuts trees to ensure:

• Safe and dependable service
• Public and line worker safety