Addressing vegetation management concerns is necessary to ensure dependable electrical service to our membership. By way of herbicide applications, proper pruning, and environmental care practices, our vegetation management program can maintain the overall power quality and safety of our crews and the general public.
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At OEC, we recognize the importance of trees to our community and the environment. However, as a result of inclement weather and natural occurrences, blinking lights and line outages may occur due to tree limb or tree branch contact with energized lines. With this in mind, our crews work diligently in removing or pruning trees for reliable electrical service.
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| Membership Notification |
During routine maintenance, an OEC representative or OEC contractor will make every attempt to contact tree owners concerning permission to remove or prune trees and brush. Door hangers with a call back number or a telephone message are general practices crews find beneficial for tree owner contacts. However, tree owners may also call our office line at (405) 321-2024 to report tree concerns. OEC crews remove and prune trees near our power lines at no cost to our members.
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| Pruning Guidelines |
To enhance the health of all trees, OEC crews focus on pruning recommendations based on the American National Standards A300 Pruning Standards. These Standards encourage the use of directional, natural or lateral pruning techniques. Information on pruning methods is available in our lobby or at:
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| Line Clearance Guidelines |
OEC's implementation of 10 foot minimum pruning requirement on all lines is necessary because some trees native to Oklahoma can reproduce as much as 60 inches of growth within a pruning year. Our pruning clearance recommendation for trees deemed necessary for removal includes a 30 foot wide corridor under a three or B- phase line (pole with cross arms and 4 or 3-wire construction) and a 20 foot wide corridor under a single phase line (pole minus cross arm and 2-wire construction). OEC will evaluate hazardous trees outside our line easement if within striking distance upon private party removal or pruning.
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| Crew Distribution |
OEC maintenance and vegetation crews in conjunction with the Asplundh Tree Expert Company provide our membership with a significant workforce for vegetation management concerns. OEC utilizes the services of Davey Resource Group (DRG), who provide forestry personnel as a lead contact for member notifications and /or to discuss issues involving their trees. DRG employees work together with our vegetation crews providing and collecting vegetation work reports. OEC and contractor crews also include certified herbicide applicators to apply low volume applications to unwanted brush, tree re-growth and volunteer trees and stumps.
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| Planting the Right Tree in the Right Place |
The National Arbor Day Foundation, www.arborday.org/trees/righttreeandplace provides helpful information in regard to tree plantings near and around overhead and underground electric utilities. OEC also offers these useful tips when considering tree and shrub plantings or pruning's near our facilities.
- Do not prune trees near or over our power lines. Please call the OEC office to schedule an appointment with a certified arborist or trained professional in tree evaluations.
- When removing trees, always check for overhead conductor lines.
- Avoid plantings near and around utility poles that may hinder work crew efforts to access the pole. Obstructions will be damaged or removed during service restoration or maintenance.
- Do not obstruct underground pads or facilities. Keep shrubs and structures 10 feet away from the front of doors and 4 feet away from all other sides. Obstructions will be damaged or removed during service restoration or maintenance.
- Be aware of underground and overhead utility line locations prior to digging for tree plantings. The National Arbor Day Foundation web site offers tree species and guidelines for plantings.
- While we make every attempt to preserve the aesthetic value of trees and vegetation in and around rights-of-way, during outage situations our primary concerns are reducing fire and electrocution hazards, and providing personal and public safety from falling branches and tree failure. Following these events, some trees may require additional pruning to meet industry standards.
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| How to Request a Tree Pruning or Removal |
We offer two convenient ways to request tree pruning or removals:
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