If a previous owner of your home planted the wrong species of tree in your yard and now the tree is mature and too close to power lines, you may need to have the tree removed. Trimming branches from the tree when the branches rest on a power line is dangerous. You should not try to trim such a tree by yourself. Instead, call for professional help. Here are some steps involved in tree removal for a tree near power lines.
Get Professional Advice
The type of power lines involved determines who you need to call for help. If the tree is growing into the utility company's main lines that run along your easement, call the utility company and report the tree. The utility company is usually responsible for trimming those trees so they stay below power lines. They probably won't remove the tree, but they should send their own tree trimmers to your property to cut back the branches.
If the tree is in your yard and tangling in the service line that runs from the pole to the roof of your house, then you're usually responsible for handling the problem. Call a tree removal company to look at your tree. Removing the tree could be the best choice so that bushy branches don't grow back and repeat the problem in a few years. You may also need to call your city and get permission to cut down the tree, depending on regulations in your city and the type of tree it is.
Have Your Power Disconnected
If the branches are in the tree already, you or the tree removal company may need to call the utility company to come out and disconnect the power line so the workers are safe when cutting down your tree. Removing a tree doesn't take too long, and the utility company will reconnect your power once the work is done.
Remove The Tree
Once the power line is out of the way, the tree removal process can continue normally. The tree company can cut the tree down a portion at a time and dump the parts in a truck to be hauled away. You'll probably want the stump ground away too so you don't have a big stump in your yard that takes years to decompose.
Get Advice On A New Tree
Once the tree and stump are gone, you may want to plant a new tree in the area. It's okay to plant trees under power lines as long as the tree won't grow tall enough to reach the line. Service lines are lower than pole lines, so you may need advice from a landscaper on the right species of tree to plant and the best location for it.
If you want to make sure you don't have to go through the tree removal process again in a few years, you could just plant grass or flowers under the service line and eliminate the risk of anything growing near it again.
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