Just like alcohol and driving, trees and power lines are a combination that will sooner or later cause problems, and that is why your Cooperative is spending a million and a half dollars each year on our right-of-way clearing program.

Achieving a balance between happy members and a clean, clear right-of-way is no easy task and from time to time it is appropriate that we remind our members that our goal is to provide them with service that is both safe and reliable.

Although $1.5 million dollars is unquestionably a lot of money, such expenditures will actually save the Cooperative money by preventing the loss of electricity through tree limbs in contact with power lines, and by avoiding the devastation that occurs when storms cause trees to tear lines completely down.

Trees that are in contact with power lines are the biggest cause of those blinking lights on your alarm clock, microwave and VCR, and may also affect other appliances such as burglar alarms, computers and smoke detectors.  Proper tree trimming today prevents the outages and blinks of tomorrow.

Occasionally we encounter members who would rather have blinks and outages rather than have their own trees trimmed; however once we explain how just one tree can affect power quality for hundreds of other members, the compassionate nature that is within all of us usually prevails. 

Trees that are in contact with power lines can also be a safety hazard, especially for children.  Despite all the safety messages, public contacts with energized lines continue to cause injuries and deaths.  A clear right-of- way can prevent such tragedies by reducing the opportunities for contact.

Don’t forget that we offer a "Swap a Tree Program" that includes replacement trees for any trees we cut down under power lines. 
 
 

*  Adapted from Federated Open Lines Magazine Oct 2002