~From Roots to Shoots~

Many trees in our community, particularly the ones we see every day along our driveways and on the roads near our homes, have the potential to cause conflict with the surrounding utility wires. As you may know, our public electrical utility, PECO, is owned by Exelon Energy Corporation. PECO has a contract with an international vegetation company (orange trucks) to maintain the trees along PECO’s utility lines.

PECO and their contractor have one obligation— to keep the electricity flowing. These parties have little to no concern about the preservation of trees growing in wires. Unfortunately, their actions at times leave homeowners with damaged trees and landscape plantings. Despite the dissatisfaction of homeowners, the utility has the authority and legal protection to maintain the trees in their right-of-way.

This being said, in our experience, the utility company has been willing to work with residences in many circumstances where flexibility is possible. If you have received a notice and have concerns about the utility trimming or removing your trees, please give us a call. Our arborists will meet with the PECO representative to get an accurate understanding of the utility’s objectives. At times, we have been able to incorporate recommendations for a more aesthetic cut back.

One Final Note

The service wire, or what is referred to as the house drop, is not maintained by the utility’s tree contractor. It is important to make sure that your lawn and landscape trees are properly maintained to avoid conflict with these wires. Your trees can become especially hazardous during a storm, which could result in loss of power to your home. Having your trees maintained above the service wire will greatly reduce the inconvenience of a power outage. Our arborists are trained to perform this maintenance when necessary.