Project Timeline

Trimming of trees around power lines in the Five Points area is expected to continue through the end of this year.

 Notification and Contact information

If your property will be affected, Progress Energy will place a door hanger on your front door with information about the tree trimming program. If you have concerns, call the number on the door hanger and arrange a meeting with a Progress Energy representative.

Key Points

• Trees are part of the natural beauty of the Carolinas, but trees and other vegetation are also one of the leading causes of outages in the Southeast. We must constantly work to balance aesthetic concerns with our responsibility to provide a reliable electric system for the 1.5 million households and businesses that depend on us.
• Progress Energy has obtained easements and agreements with local communities and property owners that allow it to build and maintain its power lines. This right includes managing vegetation, including trees that pose a threat to the reliability of the electric system (on or outside the easement).
• Maintaining trees and vegetation along distribution and transmission rights of way helps reduce outages and enhances safety for customers, as well as Progress Energy employees and contractors.
• Customers with questions or concerns about right-of-way or vegetation maintenance can contact a Progress Energy customer service representative by calling 1.800.452.2777.

Line safety

• Progress Energy maintains more than 40,000 miles of overhead power lines in the Carolinas. While it's impossible to completely eliminate tree interference on our system, proactive management of vegetation can significantly reduce outages, as well as increase reliability and safety.
• Trees growing near power lines can cause a fire and be an electrical hazard to anyone in contact with the tree at ground level. They can also cause safety hazards for our crews.
• Progress Energy discourages customers, property owners and untrained contractors from pruning trees and plants near power lines themselves. Call 1.800.452.2777 before doing work.

Methods

• Progress Energy hires qualified, trained tree experts to inspect and clear electric lines on its system. Vegetation is managed through a combination of mechanical mowing, herbicide application, tree trimming and removal to ensure system reliability.
• Trimming practices vary based on the voltage and type of line, as well as the type of tree and its proximity to the line. In some cases, the tree may even need to be removed to ensure the safe and reliable operation of the line.
• Progress Energy uses a technique called directional pruning to maintain the health of the tree while establishing acceptable clearance between energized wires and tree branches. These pruning techniques were developed by the Tree Care Industry Association, approved by the American National Standard Institute (ANSI), and adopted by the pruning industry as its standard. It is endorsed and promoted by the National Arbor Day Foundation and the International Society of Arboriculture.

What can customers expect?

• Any trees identified to be cut down in maintained or landscaped areas will be marked with flagging tape. Other trees on the property that may impact the lines will be pruned, but will not be marked.
• Pruned limbs that are accessible by our equipment in maintained or landscaped areas will be chipped. We will provide a general clean-up of the work area.
• Underbrush will not be marked prior to removal. Underbrush is vegetation growth that is six inches or less in diameter at approximately 4.5 feet from the ground.
• The wood from trees that are removed in maintained or landscaped areas will be cut and left on the property. The stump will be left intact.
• In non-landscaped areas, it is our policy to leave pruned vegetation and wood in place to bio-degrade naturally

How does Progress Energy decide when to prune or is this just a random selection?

As part of our integrated, cycle-based vegetation management plan, trees and vegetation will be maintained at regular intervals based on a number of factors that include the type and voltage of the line, width of the right of way, and any federal, state and local requirements that govern vegetation management.

Maintenance cycles are carried out regardless of the outage history of a particular line. We do, however, work to identify vegetation that poses an immediate threat to system reliability and take steps to prevent vegetation-related outages.

How much will be cut from my trees?

Trimming practices vary based on the voltage and type of line, right of way width, type of tree being trimmed and the tree's proximity to the line, as well as any federal, state and local requirements that govern vegetation management.

How will you prune my trees?

Progress Energy generally uses a technique called directional pruning, developed by the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA), approved by the American National Standard Institute (ANSI), and adopted by the pruning industry as its standard. With directional pruning, entire limbs or portions of limbs growing toward the lines are removed back to the main branch or trunk. They are removed at a point where they would naturally shed if they died from natural causes. Future growth will then be directed away from the wires, and rapidly growing, weakly attached sprouts will be minimized.

Removing the branches at the point where they normally shed preserves the tree's natural defense system as well as other natural protection processes. To provide adequate clearance and help maintain tree health, our trained tree crews evaluate each tree to determine the tree's structure and growth pattern. This assessment is used to decide which limbs should be removed to accomplish these goals.

City of Raleigh Agreement with Progress Energy

For any utility pole within the City's right-of-way. Progress Energy is allowed to create a clear zone of 7 1/2 feet on each side of a power line. See illustration below:

If a utility pole sits on your property, your easement with Progress Energy should state that Progress Energy can create a clear zone of 15 feet on each side of a power line.

PDF Documents

• Progress Energy's tree trimming program
• City of Raleigh's trimming box