Contact us if you have a tree issue:
- Virginia: 866-366-4357
- South Carolina: 800-251-7234
In order to serve you better, please select your Dominion Energy location services.
In order to serve you better, please select your Dominion Energy location services.
Learn how we maintain the area around our power lines
Contact us if you have a tree issue:
Customers often have questions about how and why Dominion Energy manages trees and plants near our power lines. We cut trees and brush adjacent to our rights of way (the areas around power lines) to maintain safe, reliable and economic electric service, and to provide quicker access for our crews during service restoration and maintenance work.
We follow the American National Standard for Tree Care Operations (ANSI A300) for tree trimming—supported by arborists and other tree care experts. This method helps direct future growth away from power lines while leaving remaining limbs intact.
ANSI A300 trimming may appear drastic at first but results in healthier trees long-term since fewer cuts are used. Affected areas callous quickly, reducing decay and allowing for future trimming that may be less noticeable.
Learn more about our trimming process and schedule below.
Our regulators recognize the importance of Dominion Energy properly maintaining vegetation around its power lines and require that such maintenance be performed. Vegetation, including trees, brush and vines, can threaten your safety and the safety of Dominion Energy crews if they grow too close to power lines. Vegetation also causes power outages and limits Dominion Energy's access to its lines to make necessary repairs.
Dominion Energy regularly maintains vegetation along its power lines for safety and service reliability. Serious injury or death can occur if energized lines are touched or if an object is touched that is in contact with a line.
In short, it depends on the size and type of debris, and what caused it to fall.
Dominion Energy employs trained professionals and contractors who must be OSHA certified to trim trees around power lines. Untrained individuals should not attempt to trim trees near power lines for risk of serious or fatal injury. Approaching power lines is not only deadly, it's against the law.
When in doubt, give us a call: For your safety, never attempt to trim any plants or trees that are touching or growing near power lines.
Doing work near power lines: If you or a contractor are doing work at your home and need to get near lines, and you are in Virginia, the High Voltage Safety Act requires you to contact Dominion Energy.
Trees on lines: If a tree or limb is touching a power line, call us so we can evaluate whether it should be removed. If a limb has fallen onto a line, call us to remove it. For safety, do not attempt to remove any trees or tree limbs from power lines yourself. For more information, please view this video: What can a 7,200-volt power line do?
Important Safety Note: Always assume downed lines and any nearby objects are energized and dangerous. If you see fallen lines on your property or in roadways, stay away and contact us immediately.
A minimum of 20 feet is trimmed above the primary distribution power line, while a minimum of 15 feet is trimmed to the side of distribution wires. Unmaintained and or tall growing vegetation will be removed from the right-of-way.
These distances provide the necessary clearance to safely operate the lines and reduce the chance of rain, wind or ice pushing or breaking limbs into the lines.
View information on vegetation plantings on Dominion Energy right-of-way.
Always remember to call 811 before you dig.
The emerald ash borer is posing an increasing threat to trees near Dominion Energy power lines. This invasive insect was first discovered in the United States in 2002 and is responsible for the rapid decline and death of the ash tree species in 35 states, including Virginia.
Dead or dying ash trees must be cut down because damaged trees and limbs can fall on electric poles or equipment and cause potentially hazardous situations and electrical service interruptions. As part of a mitigation plan approved by the Virginia State Corporation Commission, Dominion Energy personnel and our contractors are safely cutting down ash trees capable of impacting distribution lines along distribution rights-of-way. Any debris resulting from the partial or full take down of a dead tree is the property owner's responsibility.
Adult beetles are bright metallic green; have a bright red, bronze or golden abdomen; and are approximately a 1/2 inch long and 1/8 inch wide. The back of an adult beetle is flat, their underside is rounded, and they have a small spine at the tip of the abdomen and antennae.
As larvae, they feed under the bark and wind back and forth, creating galleries that are packed with sawdust and follow a serpentine pattern. Loss of leaves, thinning, and discoloration of ash tree leaves are also signs of active borer damage.
Learn more about Ash trees and the Emerald Ash Borer:
www.emeraldashborer.info
Virginia Cooperative Extension - Emerald Ash Borer: Options for Landowners
Virginia Department of Forestry - Ash Tree Management
The Company and our contractors carefully spot-treat woody-stemmed growth using low volume applications of EPA approved, non-restricted use herbicides. The Company sprays only the undesirable plant species (as opposed to broadcast applications). "Low volume" application means the Company uses only the volume of herbicide necessary to remove the selected plant species. The Company uses licensed contractors to perform this work that are either certified applicators or registered technicians in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
View a list of suggested species to consider when planning the landscape.
Always remember to call 811 before you dig.
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