Tree Trimming Helps Prevent Power Outages.

Tree trimming helps MID maintain the reliable electric service you have come to expect. MID trims about 20,000 trees each year to prevent them from coming in contact with power lines. By law, a California electric utility must maintain a certain distance between power lines and trees. A tree touching a power line could cause a power outage, the power line to fall or touch another power line, or a spark.

Trees enhance the appearance of a neighborhood, help clean the air and conserve energy. However, it is important to plant the right tree for the location. A location near a power line needs a tree that, when mature, does not interfere with the power line.

MID uses a method called directional pruning when existing trees grow into power lines. Many tree experts recommend this. Directional pruning works with the tree’s natural growth pattern.

MID does not prune to improve the tree’s health or to reshape the tree for a more pleasing appearance. Only the owner of the tree (the city or a private property owner) may do that.