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Member and
Public Rights
The
Member/Consumers of PCEMC have a right to expect the highest
quality of service available to them at the lowest possible cost.
Members do not tolerate interruptions of electric service, not
even momentary blinks. On the other hand, the public and members
alike often desire to cultivate and maintain vegetation under and
around power lines. This has in the past made the utility
operations personnel job a difficult one. How does one balance the
need for good, low cost, service with the equally high
responsibility of maintaining a valuable ecological resource?
Also, PCEMC has other responsibilities to the public including
safety.
The PCEMC
member and the public have certain rights. It is generally
accepted that a tree is owned by the individual upon whose
property the trunk lies. This includes the crown and root system.
These rights go only as far as they do not interfere with the
welfare and comparable rights of others.
If there is a
energized PCEMC conductor in proximity to a tree with its trunk on
private property, PCEMC has the obligation to protect the public
and PCEMC's consumers from harm. This obligation requires PCEMC to
enter onto private property and perform whatever work required to
such extent reasonably necessary to insure the safety of the
public and provide reliable electric service. PCEMC must perform
this obligation equitably and uniformly for all customers and this
includes trimming of trees.
State,
Federal, and Parish rights-of-way, have certain other obligations
associated with tree trimming. In general, the Louisiana
Department of Transportation and Development regulates the
trimming of trees in their right-of-way. They also require permits
and notifications when employees and contractors trim trees. Some
state and parish roads may be constructed on land owned by
adjacent landowners, but the state or parish usually has all
rights necessary to operate and maintain the rights-of-way. It is
the right-of-way supervisors responsibility to coordinate all
necessary permits and notifications to the DOTD or the parish.
Louisiana
Revised Statute 12:428 and case law subsequent to its enactment
have allowed the cooperatives the right to operate and maintain
lines located on private property which have been in place for
over one year. The case law ruled this right to extend beyond the
ground line protection of the conductors at least six feet and for
multi-phase lines seven feet.
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Side Trimming
The objective
with side trimming is to direct the growth away from the energized
line, leaving good scaffolding, sound wood, and the highest
possible bud count above the conductors so there is minimal
regrowth without sacrificing sound wood architecture and natural
growth patterns. Crews shall confine removal of wood on the side
of the tree away from the conductors to obvious hazard wood which
if not removed could cause injury or damage at any time. Such wood
must be an obvious, immediate hazard. Removal of other wood,
greater than 10 feet from the nearest conductor is the
responsibility of the owner of the tree.
The relative
shape of the conductor zone cleared depends on the height of the
tree and distance between the tree and the conductors. The specie
of the tree, its wood strength, ability to withstand storms, as
well as the natural growth patterns of the tree are also
considerations. Four years of clearance is the required goal not a set distance.
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Initial restructuring for "thru" trim style
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Side trim style on distribution circuit
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Side trim on transmission current with underbuild
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Crews shall place
emphasis on removal of dead, dying, weak, and structurally unsound
wood. A guide to the desired vertical height from conductor to limbs
is 12 feet. The side distances may be as close as 6 feet on distribution
circuits. This shall depend on the type, condition, and location
of the tree as well as the type of circuit. Four years of clearance
is the goal.
The
right tree in the right place.
PCEMC members should
be aware that planting the right tree in the right place can provide
them with many benefits, including shade, windbreaks and privacy.
To make sure they also consider the proximity of power lines when
choosing the location to plant a new tree or shrub, PCEMC would
like to remind its members about the importance of maintaining
a clearance for all power lines on their property.
More information
can be found online at:
ˇ
www.arborday.org/trees/rightTree.html
ˇ
www.isa-arbor.com/consumer/hazards.html
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www2.champaign.isa-arbor.com/consumer/avoid.html
ˇ
www.treelink.org
ˇ
www.natlarb.com/
You
may also contact dcline@pcemc.org
for more information.
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