I’m concerned about a tree branch on or near my power line. What should I do?

If you need to report a downed power line, call 911 or 800-450-7240. Stay at least 25 feet from any downed line and consider it energized. Do not attempt to remove any branches yourself.

If your power is out, report your outage in the WPS app, online in My Account or by calling 800-450-7240.

If a tree is touching a power line, but it is not an emergency, call 800-450-7260.

If you have a dead or dying limb, consult this diagram. If the branch is near your power line, call 800-450-7260. We will schedule an inspection to evaluate the situation. We will determine if pruning is needed to maintain safe, reliable service and inform you of our findings. Branches near phone and cable wires will not be pruned by WPS. Contact your service provider with concerns.

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What should I do about dead branches above my service wire?

We recommend removal of the branches. Call 800-450-7260 and we will do an inspection. We will determine if we need to temporarily remove the service wire so you or your contractor can safely remove branches.

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When must trees be cut down?

Trees are typically pruned based on a schedule determined by our foresters. But there are times when we must cut down most of the tree, rather than just limbs and branches.

• All tall-growing trees smaller than 12 inches in diameter within 10 feet of a high-voltage primary line will be cut down.
• All hazardous, diseased, structurally weakened or leaning trees that pose an imminent threat to the line will be cut down, and debris will be left on site.
• Stumps and young, tall-growing trees are treated with an herbicide to prevent regrowth. (Note: Stumps will not be removed.)
• Trees that have caused repeated safety problems or power outages will be cut down.

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How much pruning is necessary?

High-voltage primary lines are cleared based on the species and location of trees. All trees are pruned back to existing tree lines. If no tree line exists, the trees are classified as either slow-growing or fast-growing and pruned as follows:

• Slow-growing tree species — pruned to provide at least 6 feet of clearance from side of line.
• Fast-growing tree species — pruned to provide 10 feet of clearance from side of line.
• All limbs hanging over lines — pruned to provide 20 feet of clearance above line.

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Why do you prune so much?

We trim to get separation between trees and power lines for safe and reliable electric service. Adequate separation lengthens time between pruning cycles, which keeps energy costs lower.

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Do you need to remove healthy trees that tower over power lines?

Probably not. Removal is rare and used only for trees that grow too fast to keep separation from primary lines. Typically, we only need to prune enough to maintain separation around the primary wires.

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What about the trees near the power line that comes to my house on my property?

Coated secondary, service and streetlight wires are pruned only if trees or limbs are laying on or pulling down the wires.

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I'm not having any power reliability issues. Why do you have to prune my trees?

We determine a line-clearance maintenance plan on an annual basis. Clearance pruning is in everyone's best interest. Safe and reliable electric service is threatened by trees growing into electric lines. When electric lines come in contact with trees, problems can occur, such as power outages, fire hazards and safety hazards.

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Why do you send a forester to evaluate before sending a crew to trim?

We assess each situation first and discuss options. If we find we need to perform work, we schedule a crew with the right equipment for the job.

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How much will it cost to cut my tree?

Nothing, if we determine it is a threat to the safety or reliability of our electric distribution system. For trees you choose to cut, we recommend contacting a professional arborist for an estimate.

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My area was on the map for line clearance. When should I expect you?

Timelines for tree pruning may be altered following storms and other issues. Pruning is done on a six- to eight-year cycle. If we schedule pruning that includes trees on your property, we will contact you via letter and/or door hanger before pruning trees and limbs too close to our power lines.

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How much of a notice will you give me before you come to trim?

You will receive a letter well in advance informing you that crews will be trimming trees in your area.

WPS will make a reasonable attempt to contact the landowner a minimum of 24 hours before working on their property. This contact may be in the form of a written notice delivered to the landowner's residence, a telephone call, door hanger, or an in-person contact.

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Can the utility prune a neighbor's tree that might damage property or cause an outage?

Not without your neighbor's approval. Please ask your neighbor to contact us, and we will determine the best course of action.

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Why was my tree pruned but not my neighbor's?

Our foresters have years of experience on how trees impact power lines. They devise the best solution by considering the type of electric facilities, tree proximity to power lines, tree type and growth rate.

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Trees were cut down on my property. What will be removed?

Our crews clean up the area after work is done, but debris removal depends on size and location. In unmaintained areas, limbs and brush are piled and left on-site. In maintained areas, the limbs are chipped and taken away. Large tree trunks and stems are left on-site in both maintained and unmaintained areas. Debris from all invasive species may be left on-site, per Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Invasive Species Rule — NR 40.

• Maintained: Typically a residence with landscaping and a mowed yard.
• Unmaintained: Wooded, natural or wild areas.

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Can I get wood chips following tree trimming?

As a result of our line clearance program, free wood chips may be available upon request. To recycle our wood chips as completely and efficiently as possible, we deliver only a full truckload(s) to you when we’re in your area.

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Are you going to drive over my lawn?

The contractors use best practices to minimize damage to property. If damage is caused by the contractor, the contractor will pay for the cost to return your property to its original condition.

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Why did Asplundh crews tell me that pruning was needed but no work was done?

Look closely at your trees — there is a very good chance that your trees were pruned. The pruning technique is very selective, and you may not be able to see it from a distance — or even from right under the tree.

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Why doesn't WPS bury all the lines?

Underground line installation is more costly than overhead lines when extending new facilities. This is even more costly to do as replacement of existing facilities. We evaluate the cost of all our construction projects to keep our rates as low as possible.

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What kind of trees do you recommend for my landscaping?

Trees growing too close to power lines can cause problems, including power outages, fire and shock hazards. Plants and other landscaping features can interfere with utility equipment and cause safety risks. Digging into the ground while landscaping can pose serious risk to you and underground utilities.

• Tree planting tips and requirements
• Lines, limbs and landscape
• Call before you dig (811)

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Can I do plantings to hide that green box in the back yard?

Underground electric lines, though unseen, require space of their own. Planting shrubs and trees over underground lines is not recommended because of future maintenance that will be needed on these lines.

An 8-foot-wide strip centered directly over an underground line will provide enough space for future maintenance. Transformers located on the ground (which convert high electric voltage to a voltage usable by your household) also require extra space for maintenance. Leave an area of 8 feet in the front (the side marked with the DANGER HIGH VOLTAGE sign) to be free of vines, shrubs and trees.

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How close can I build a tree house to power lines?

Never build a tree house in a tree close to power lines, climb a tree close to power lines, touch a power line or allow any tools to touch them. Call us when you plan a project that would place you, your tools or permanent structures close to power lines. We will work with you to determine if we need to disconnect the power lines until you complete your work, or reroute them permanently to eliminate conflicts with permanent structures.

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