Main Content
We prevent power outages from affecting our Chattanooga customers
Why We Prune

Maintaining beautiful trees & preventing outages

Proper pruning ensures healthy trees, and reliable power.

Whether you’re located in the country or along a shady, trees and shrubs add tremendous beauty to our community. However, they’re also the leading cause of power outages. So we must make sure they don’t grow into power lines and equipment, and potentially disrupt service during storms and severe weather.

EPB partners with hundreds of contracted arborists who properly prune trees year-round to keep them healthy, and clear of power lines – so they’ll continue to be a treasured part of our community for generations to come.

When does EPB prune trees?

Constantly! With thousands of miles of power lines across our service area, we must continually prune in order to keep up with tree growth. In fact, even with dozens of crews working every day, it still takes us 5-6 years to complete a single pruning cycle. Therefore, we must prune tree limbs back far enough so they don’t grow into power lines before we have an opportunity to return to your area.

3x4_arborists-lifting-cut-log.jpg

Did you know?

EPB prunes trees along more than 3,000 miles of overhead power lines? That’s roughly equal the distance from Chattanooga to Phoenix (and back!).

Who prunes the trees?

EPB partners with hundreds of Certified Utility Arborists, who are experts at prunning to National Electrical Safety Code (NESC) standards for safety and energy service reliability. We also have ISA-certified arborists on staff to ensure proper pruning practices are adhered to by all contracted Vegetation Management professionals.

How are trees prunned?

EPB and our contractors use lateral and directional pruning methods, which leave the overall structure of the tree stronger and more resistant to high winds and heavy ice, while directing future growth away from power lines and equipment. These popular prunning methods were developed by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), and approved by the National Arborist Association, the National Arbor Day Foundation and the Metro Tree Ordinance.

3x4_arborist-equipment.jpg

Pruning Methods

Overhang Pruning

Used for taller trees if the clearance will be 15 feet above the primary power line.

V Pruning

Employed when high voltage wires run through the middle of a tree’s canopy.

Side Pruning

Employed for pruning trees that are growing closely to adjacent power lines.

EPB's Tree Pruning Guidelines:

  • EPB only prunes foliage that poses a potential threat to power service delivery.
  • We prune a minimum of 10-15 feet away from primary power lines, and even further away from high-voltage distribution lines.
  • We prune all weak, damaged or dead limbs that hang above conductors.
  • We control invasive plant species with an effective combination of pruning and low-risk herbicides that encourage low-growing grasses and wildflowers, and enhance habitat diversity for wildlife, including pollinators.
  • Pruning exceptions include low-growing trees (dogwoods, redbuds, ornamentals) and landscape quality trees less than 6 inches in diameter.
  • During routine pruning, we leave tree limbs cut into manageable fireplace-length logs, and chip smaller brush into mulch.
  • During storms, we must simply clear fallen trees away from downed power lines and then move on in order to speed energy restoration for everyone.
  • If you have a tree growing directly under power lines, we encourage you to let us remove it. We’ll cut the tree down, grind the smaller limbs, and cut the logs into fireplace lengths – all at no charge.
  • As a property owner, you’re responsible for trees that interfere with service lines that run from a transformer pole to your home or building. But we’ll be happy to lower your service line to allow your tree contractor to prune and remove foliage, and then reinstall service at no charge.

Worried about your trees? Talk to a Pro.

If you see foliage that could potentially interfere with your power service and would like to request a site survey, or you if have questions about your trees and would like an EPB Energy Pro Arborist to contact you, please submit a request below.

Worried about your trees? Talk to a Pro.

If you see foliage that could potentially interfere with your power service and would like to request a site survey, or you if have questions about your trees and would like an EPB Energy Pro Arborist to contact you, please submit a request below.

Where to Plant

Anticipating future growth is key to knowing the best places to plant.

Fall Planting Tips

See why the cool Fall weather is best for new trees and shrubs.

LOADING