Trees near power lines in Ocala

Ocala Electric Utility calls trees growing near power lines one of the primary causes of momentary and sustained outages, and it would rather hear from you before anyone climbs.

Who serves your address?

The Ocala Gazette's Milton outage count shows four providers in Marion County: Duke Energy, Ocala Electric Utility, SECO Energy and Clay Electric Cooperative. The guidance below is OEU's; customers of the others should check with their own utility.

What OEU does

• Prunes and removes hazardous trees around approximately 200 miles of lines each year, keeping a safe clearance zone while protecting tree health.
• Works to the National Electric Safety Code; its crews are trained to OSHA 1910.269 and ANSI Z133.1.
• Before pruning near lines, asks customers and tree contractors to call for a free onsite visit with the utility arborist.
• May drop a line so work can go ahead, or, if it can't, cut enough to make the tree safe for a private contractor to finish, leaving the wood and brush on site.

OEU's Hazardous Tree Removal Program

OEU's program flyer lists the kinds of trees it considers:

• Dead, dying or diseased trees.
• Trees threatening City of Ocala facilities.
• Structural defects, poor roots or uprooting.
• A 50 percent chance of striking a primary distribution line.
• Unrestricted access for limb removal.

After an application, OEU staff make an initial inspection within 10 days and tell the applicant by email or phone whether it's approved.

Emergencies

For a power outage or a tree causing sparking or a hazardous condition, OEU lists 352-351-6666. In an emergency, call 911.

Planting with lines in mind

OEU asks homeowners to plant the right tree in the right place, considering what's above and below ground and the tree's mature size. Marion County's landscaping code keeps large trees 30 feet from power lines in required plantings.