CANADIAN—Xcel Energy plans to trim trees near power lines serving customers in Canadian to prevent tree-related power outages and to lessen the chance of wildfire fueled by overgrown vegetation.

The work will be carried out by Asplundh between April and June.

Xcel Energy’s vegetation management group requires trimming to a minimum clearance of six feet horizontal and 10 feet vertical clearance from power lines. The company cautions property owners against hiring professional tree trimmers for limbs within a six-foot distance of a line. Only company employees and contractors can trim within six feet of energized power lines.

“Canadian is known for its mature and well-maintained trees, and we understand the concerns of our customers who want to keep Canadian’s canopy in good shape,” said Laycee Johnson, manager for Community and Economic Development. “The only limbs we will trim are those that are close to power lines. This helps maintain the reliability of our service, and that’s also extremely important to our customers in Canadian.”

Xcel Energy will initiate an outbound call campaign informing property owners and residents when trimmers will be in the area and will provide customers with Asplundh’s phone number should they need to communicate with trimmers ahead of time. Asplundh crews will knock on doors before starting tree trimming and will continue work if the homeowner is not home.

Xcel Energy employs an arborist who coordinates with Asplundh to regularly inspect and trim trees near electric feeder circuits across the company’s Texas and New Mexico service area. Canadian, like other neighboring cities, is on a regular tree trimming rotation. Trees are not only trimmed a safe distance away from power lines, but also pruned back far enough to account for growth before the next trimming cycle.

Xcel Energy offers more information on its vegetation management program, including a downloadable guide to planting trees, at the Sustainable Landscaping page at xcelenergy.com. The tree guide for Texas and New Mexico includes information on siting trees and shrubs near power lines and discusses which trees are best adapted to the region’s semiarid climate. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Vegetation Management Program