Tree Safety and Vegetation Management - Residential - California Electric - Liberty
Vegetation Management
Vegetation management is a critical, yet somewhat behind the scenes department of an electric utility. Unless tree work is being done in your neighborhood or backyard, it goes largely unnoticed. Inspecting, pruning, and removing trees, branches, and other vegetation to maintain power line clearance is essential to safe operations. Trees may cause power outages when branches contact power lines, break and fall on lines, or when trees are blown over on to power lines during storms.
Liberty employs International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certified arborists to manage our vegetation management program. ISA certified arborists must demonstrate a high level of knowledge and experience to gain certification, and are required to maintain certification through continuing education in the science and best practices of proper tree care.
When trees are identified for trimming, crews are instructed to prune branches and vegetation back to a minimum of 12 feet from the high voltage power lines to maintain adequate clearance. Additionally, trees that are dead, diseased, or structurally unsound, which have the potential to fall on power lines are identified and scheduled for removal.
Liberty’s vegetation management efforts include:
- Inspections using LiDAR technology and remote sensing, as well as ground-based inspections performed by ISA certified arborists
- Routine maintenance to maintain proper power line clearance, mitigate tree fall-in risk, manage and reduce fuels, clear poles, and more
- Collaborating with other agencies and organizations, such as:
- The United States Forest Service (USFS) and National Forest Foundation (NFF)
- Local fire agencies
- Arbor Day Foundation
- California Tahoe Conservancy (CTC)
- Property owner or resident submits a tree inspection request
- Liberty assigns the request to an arborist to respond (Note: inspection or response may take several weeks from the time the inspection request is received, depending on regularly scheduled work and other priorities)
- Arborist inspects tree/vegetation and determines if work is required
- Arborist notifies requestor of findings
- If work is required, a work order is generated and assigned to a tree crew
- Work is scheduled and property owner/resident is notified
Total expected time frame from inspection request submission to tree work depends on tree and site conditions, tree crew and arborist resources available, and Liberty’s maintenance schedule. It is typical for tree work identified as non-emergency to be included on the next scheduled maintenance cycle.
The power line running from the pole to your home is a coated, low-voltage line called a service drop. Liberty monitors service drops and other low-voltage lines for tree limbs or other vegetation inflicting strain as part of its routine inspection and maintenance program. All other tree-related maintenance in the vicinity of service drops is the responsibility of the property owner.
If you wish to perform work on a tree or other vegetation near your service drop, please contact Liberty’s engineering department to turn off power so you can perform the work safely. Liberty will come to your residence and disconnect the service wire in the morning so you can remove the encroaching vegetation (during which time you will not have power to your home), and then come back in the afternoon to reconnect your service wire. (This service disconnect is referred to as an AM/PM). Do not attempt to do maintenance of any vegetation touching your primary service wire without contacting us first to temporarily disconnect your power. You can call Liberty at 800-782-2506 to schedule an appointment with our engineering department.
If you have a service drop attached to a tree, please contact Liberty’s engineering department. One of Liberty’s planners or engineers will need to investigate the site for potential re-route options of the service drop, which may require a complete line re route or setting a pole to attach the service drop to. Please contact Liberty at 800 782-2506 to schedule an appointment with our engineering department.
Submit a Vegetation Inquiry Form
Customers should not attempt to trim trees in the vicinity of power lines, due to the danger and risk of coming in contact with power lines. If you are concerned about trees or vegetation in or near power lines please review the FAQs or complete the Vegetation Inquiry form.
Community Canopy Program
The Community Canopy Program will resume in Spring 2027, and will remain open while supplies last.
At Liberty, we believe in giving back to our communities and contributing to a more sustainable future. Our vegetation management efforts include inspecting, pruning, and removing trees, branches, and other vegetation to maintain power line clearance. Dead and dying trees are removed to reduce the threat to power lines, enhance forest health, and help protect the local community through fuel reduction.
Trees are an integral part of our environment in the Tahoe-Sierra area, so Liberty is partnering with the Arbor Day Foundation to give back to our customers with our Community Canopy program. Liberty customers may receive a free, low-growing tree or plant on a first-come, first-serve basis while supplies last.
To receive an email notification when the program becomes available, enter your email address in the form below and click "Submit."
Liberty is coordinating with the California Tahoe Conservancy (CTC) to reduce and remove wood and fuels from parcels owned by the CTC in the Tahoe Basin. Liberty routinely conducts vegetation management work along power lines to remove identified hazards. Removal of dead trees or other hazards sometimes results in a significant amount of wood left on site. In cooperation with the CTC, Liberty’s authorized contractors will cut logs from tree removals into firewood lengths and leave on site in an accessible location. These locations are reported back to the CTC to advertise to the public for free firewood collection. Firewood pickup locations and fuel wood permit application can be found at the button below:
Liberty is a California-based utility, regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Liberty will obtain a reasonable amount of clearance beyond the minimum requirements to allow for a several years’ worth of growth, potential wind sway and other environmental factors. Distance obtained from the line after a pruning cycle may be more than 20 feet for fast growing species such as poplars or elms along distribution lines.
There are rules and regulations designed to maintain public safety and electric service reliability. Major regulations covering vegetation management include:
Public Resource Code 4292: Firebreak Pole Clearing
Utilities are required to maintain firebreaks around poles located in wild land areas during fire season that have certain equipment with the potential to emit sparks when operating properly.
Public Resource Code 4293: State Responsibility
Utilities are required to maintain clearance between vegetation and high voltage power lines during fire season in wild land areas to prevent wild fires. Also requires removal of dead, diseased or dying trees that could fall into power lines.
General Order 95: Utility Vegetation Management Requirements
Utilities are required to maintain clearance between vegetation and high voltage power lines at all times in all areas for public safety and electric system reliability.
Other References
If you have additional questions, please email CAtree@libertyutilities.com.