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 powerlines
While we respect and appreciate the natural beauty of the landscape surrounding the communities in which we live and work, safety and reliability remain our top priorities.
Trees and tree limbs continue to represent the No.1 reason for power outages ACROSS OUR SYSTEM. Routine safeguarding of overhead facilities remains critical to helping ensure a safe, resilient, and reliable electric system and keep the lights on for all the customers we serve.
Trees that exceed a maximum height of approximately 15 feet are not suitable for planting along distribution rights of way or near overhead lines. Dominion Energy continues to work collaboratively with all the municipalities we serve, as well as property owners, to ensure the proper planting of the right tree in the right place to avoid utility trimming or removal as the trees mature.
Serious injury or death can occur if energized lines are touched, or if an object is touched that has come in contact with an energized line. We work proactively year-round to safeguard overhead lines from hazardous vegetation. Working collaboratively with certified arborists on staff and in our communities, Dominion Energy and established contractors follow national pruning standards outlined by the International Society of Arboriculture. Research indicates that following these standards will preserve the health and integrity of the tree over its lifetime.
The amount of trimming varies by tree and location (for example, a yard/maintained area versus a rural/unmaintained area). Trained line-clearing professionals follow ANSI - A300 Standards, which are the generally accepted industry standards for tree care practices. These professionals consider the tree structure and minimum clearance requirements before pruning.
We use directional pruning in an effort to guide tree growth away from power lines. The diagram above shows a typical “V” shaped approach on the left; on the right is an “L” shaped trim. We may use other types of trimming methods as well.
Our maintenance trimming is done on cycles typically ranging from four to five years, so we trim to account for anticipated growth.
In short, it depends on the size and type of debris, and what caused it to fall.
View information on vegetation plantings on Dominion Energy right-of-way.
Always remember to call 811 before you dig.
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