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Trimming Near Power Lines in Pollock Pines

Are tree limbs reaching toward a wire? Call us. We'll help figure out who owns the problem, then book a tree company for the part that's yours.

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Tree work near power lines in Pollock Pines: how we help

Give us your Pollock Pines street and what tree work near power lines you need. Then a tree trimming company in Pollock Pines looks at tree work near power lines. The visit goes faster that way.

First, the safety part in Pollock Pines

Stay away from the wire. PG&E warns that a live power line can badly injure or kill anyone who touches it, and that only trained line-clearance crews should work near wires. That includes local crews. A regular trimmer who is not trained for lines should not be in the tree.

PG&E's yardwork rule: keep 10 feet of space between you and any line, and hold your tools back too. Ladders, pole saws and damp branches can all carry current. If a limb has fallen on a wire, stay back, call 911 and call PG&E.

Which wire is it?

This is the question that saves the most trouble. There are three kinds of wire on a pole.

• Distribution lines are on top of the pole. PG&E clears the trees around those.
• Communication lines (phone, cable, internet) sit lower. Each company tends its own.
• The service drop is the short wire from the pole to your meter. PG&E says the owner is responsible for keeping that one clear of trees.

So a limb touching the high wire is PG&E's to handle. A limb on the wire to your meter is yours, but your crew you hire needs to be qualified for it. PG&E offers a free temporary shutoff of your service for the day, through its Start/Stop Service. Call PG&E before work starts, and not on the day.

Not sure which wire you have? PG&E has a number for questions about its facilities: 1-800-743-5000.

PG&E's clearance rules in Pollock Pines

PG&E works year-round to keep minimum distances around its distribution lines. In regular areas that's 18 inches. In High Fire-Threat Districts, which the state's utility regulator (the CPUC) sets, it's 4 feet.

Much of the foothill and mountain country around Pollock Pines is more fire-prone than the valley, so the 4-foot rule matters. PG&E also trims past the minimum, so the tree doesn't grow back into the line before the next yearly visit.

You may notice a tree that looks lopsided after PG&E's crews work on it. PG&E calls this directional trimming and says it does not hurt the tree's health. The cuts go away from the wire. The tree grows back toward the light, and then it's time for the next pass.

When PG&E inspects, it can mark trees with paint or ribbon and send notice by email, text, call, visit or door hanger. Crews often return within a few months. Branches under 4 inches get chipped and hauled or spread. Bigger wood stays on site and belongs to you.

Fire-season pole rules in Pollock Pines

There's one more rule for the dry months. Under Public Resources Code 4292, during fire season, in CAL FIRE areas, some poles must have a 10-foot radius cleared. PG&E describes it this way: crews clear flammable stuff, tree limbs included, from the ground to 8 feet high. Above that, dead, dying or sick growth is cut out up to the top of the lines. It only applies to poles with certain equipment on them. PG&E does that work, not you.

What a homeowner's pro can do

Trees that are well away from any wire are regular jobs. Trees that are close need a line-clearance qualified crew. You may need to ask the tree company this plainly, as it's easy to skip: "Are you qualified to work near energized lines?" If not, the answer is PG&E for the high wire, or a qualified contractor for the service drop.

We pass your request to local tree companies and we ask about this at the start. We can't promise one is available for every wire job.

Also, make the free 811 call two working days before any digging or planting. It's free, and it keeps you off buried lines when you put in a new tree.

Plan for the wires when you plant

A tall pine or fir will outgrow almost any pole. When you add a tree, check how high it gets and how wide. The Fixr guide notes extra-large trees reach 50 to 100 feet. That's well above the wires. Put those far from the line and the house, and put the small ones, like dogwood or a small maple, under the wires.

What it costs

The top of Homeyou's range, $688, is where limbs over roofs and wires land. Work near the service drop usually runs higher than a plain trim, because of the extra care.

Questions to ask before anyone climbs

Before work near a wire, a few plain questions clear things up.

• Which wire is closest to the tree: the high line, a phone line or the service drop?
• Is the crew qualified to work near energized lines?
• Do we need PG&E to disconnect the service for the day?
• Where will the limbs land, and who is watching the wire as they fall?
• What happens if a limb touches the line anyway?

If the tree trimming company has no answer to the fifth question, find another tree company. This is the one job where a wrong guess can cost a life.

Looking for tree work near power lines in Pollock Pines? Ring (530) 248-6524. We arrange a tree trimming company for tree work near power lines and the day.

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