Vegetation Management

Tree trimming and vegetation management education

Trees that grow near power lines pose a serious safety risk and are also a significant cause of power outages each year.

Landscape Protection Services

South Central Power is responsible for ensuring the safe, reliable delivery of electric service within its service territory. At times, this may involve tree trimming or cutting. When trimming or cutting trees, South Central Power follows generally accepted industry guidelines and best practices to ensure minimal impact on the environment.

  • From 2017 to 2023, South Central Power spent $88 million on the vegetation management program
  • South Central Power spent $13.8 million in 2023
  • In 2023, South Central Power cleared 1,415 miles of line and removed 7,803 trees

Standards for Vegetation Control

We base our standards for vegetation control on these nationally renown organizations:

We use Nutrien Ag Solutions, a herbicide distributor, for our vegetation products to be safe and environmentally friendly.

Protect Against Power Outages

Lightening striking across a purple night skyMost or many power outages within the service territory are caused by trees that have grown tall enough to be blown into or fall onto power lines. In addition to causing power outages, trees can be a threat to public safety and property if poorly located. Proper planning can minimize the risks.

Plant the Right Tree in the Right Place

A forest floor with trees and leavesMake an informed decision when choosing which tree to plant. Tips on hiding electrical lines and poles. Visit our Plant the Right Tree in the Right Place page.

Utility Tree Pruning

Understand the need for vegetation management along electric lines. Visit our Utility Tree Pruning page.

Directional Pruning

South Central Power adopted the practice of directional pruning, which improves system reliability by directing regrowth away from power lines. Visit our Directional Pruning FAQ page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to “why do you want to trim my trees?,” “why do you need to cut so much?” and more! For additional information and questions, complete the Contact Us form on the Your Account site or call us at (800) 282-5064, ext 6170.

 

How can residents help in ensuring that trees are not cut down?

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
What will my trees look like when you prune them?

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
My trees are not even touching any electrical wires, why do you want to prune them?

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.

Why do you need to prune so much?

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.

Can I get wood chips?

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.

Contacts

Brandon Hull headshot

Brandon Hull

Vegetation Control Manager

Stephen Arey

Utility Forester - Central Area
Mychal Mitchell headshot

Mychal Mitchell

Utility Forester - East Area
Brad Moore headshot

Brad Moore

Utility Forester - West Area

For additional information and questions, complete the Contact Us form or call us at (800) 282-5064, ext 6170.