You may opt to pay an independent contractor to trim your trees to REU specifications prior to our crews trimming in your neighborhood.

In order to continue to provide reliable electrical service to all ratepayers, REU must maintain and protect its facilities within the right-of-way. This means that we trim only trees that are a potential hazard to primary and secondary lines. Service lines that connect from the pole to a residence or business are the responsibility of the owner.

Rockwood Electric Utility’s program is for a four year cycle, which normally achieves necessary clearance.

Trees will be trimmed to a minimum of 10 feet from the primary conductors. Limbs may be cut further back to comply with trim methods. Overhanging limbs will be trimmed as high as possible depending primarily on the reach of mechanical equipment used during trimming operations. Weak, diseased, and dead limbs that may contact the wire are removed. Danger trees which pose a threat to the high voltage lines but are outside the right-of-way are normally removed or trimmed to eliminate the hazard.

In some cases, the tree will look unusual due to the lateral trimming method used. However, after a few months of regrowth, there’s improvement in the appearance. Because the regrowth is directed away from the power line, future trimming is minimized and the process improves after future trim cycles.

During routine trimming all brush and debris, except stumps, will be removed within a couple of days.