Tree Trimming & Removal in the ‘Right-of-Way’
Tree trunks and tree limbs are ongoing hazards for safe and reliable electric service. Clearwater Power holds legal easements to cut or trim trees and shrubbery to the extent necessary to keep them clear of the electric line. We also remove dead, weak, leaning or dangerous trees that are tall enough to strike poles or wires. Clearwater Power also utilizes contract crews who specialize in vegetation management.
Planning & Planting
Please do not plant trees that will grow (or fall) within 15 feet of a power line. (Consider the tree’s canopy as part of that growth.) Everything that reaches within 15 feet of each side of the power line falls in the utility right-of-way and will be periodically trimmed or cut completely down. Shrubs and low-growth vegetation are better but utility equipment sometimes operates in that space and may damage some plants.
Outside the Right-of-Way
The co-op’s priority is to manage trees and vegetation that are a danger to our primary distribution system. These are the trees that pose a threat to electric service for the greatest number of consumers.
Some trouble trees fall outside of Clearwater Power’s easement. These trees may pose a danger to the consumer’s “secondary” line. This line is not the property of Clearwater Power and is the responsibility of the consumer.
If you identify a tree on your property that you think is an imminent threat and you are unsure about whose responsibility it is, please use the form below to contact us. (And please include any photos if possible)