Large trees and branches can cause extended power outages when they interfere with overhead power lines.  Oncor conducts routine tree pruning around our service areas, focusing on wires that extend from pole to pole, to ensure the safety and reliability of our service. As we maintain hundreds of thousands of miles of overhead electric lines, it may be hard to estimate when the next tree pruning will take place in a certain area.

Although we maintain a robust plan and schedule, completion times can be impacted by storm restoration and unique vegetation growing seasons, which require us to shift our focus. When we are planning to be in your area, our notification team will leave a door hanger card, which will inform you when you should expect the tree crews and provide general information about the program. While Oncor has an extensive maintenance program in place to help keep lines clear for distribution and transmission rights of way, we understand there may still be a need for further assistance. Options for tree pruning near service wires or between poles on or near your property are explained below.

Pruning trees near overhead electric lines is dangerous and should only be done by qualified professionals working under contract with the utility company. Our Vegetation Management team takes great care to prune trees according to industry standards.

Our Vegetation Management team, including professional certified arborists, are well trained in sustainable Vegetation Management industry best practices and complete their work in accordance with laws, regulations, and Oncor’s standards.

Our line-clearance arborists may have to cut back many branches to ensure trees are no longer in the way of overhead powerlines. Oncor uses natural target pruning, better known as directional pruning, to maintain clearances between trees and high-voltage power lines.  Directional pruning practices can include V-shaped pruning of trees around distribution power lines, and the cutting of tree limbs where they would naturally shed. Very often trees that are directly under distribution lines and are taller than the lines will have a V or Y shape. While this may not be the most aesthetically pleasing form, it is an arborilogically correct method that will help promote the long-term health of the trees. Ultimately, the final tree trimming method will depend on the proximity of the tree to the overhead electric line, the growth habit of the tree, the size of the limbs that need to be removed, the availability of suitable lateral limbs to prune to, and other pruning that has been done to the tree (such as thinning, stubbing or trimming for other utilities etc.).

Debris/Brush Removal After Routine Tree Pruning

Oncor will remove any tree debris created by us when performing routine maintenance for distribution lines and transmission lines in manicured areas. In some cases, debris that results from work along Transmission Right of Ways (ROWs) is left to decompose and return nutrients to the soil, while also reducing the risk of soil erosion. Oncor does not remove debris for other reasons not related to work by Oncor, such as pruning done by cities or by communication and cable companies.

Debris/Brush Removal After Storm or Outage Events

When trees fall over or lose branches/limbs and lines are impacted, Oncor Vegetation Management crews will prune away the portion required to restore service, but will not remove the tree, limbs, or debris. If a tree falls or loses branches/limbs, it is the property owner's responsibility to remove the tree and all of the debris. If Oncor pruned away limbs/branches that have grown into the overhead electric lines in order to restore service, Oncor will remove the debris that we pruned. Following major storm events, debris removal may take up to several weeks, as our first priority is to restore power as quickly and safely as we can.