Line-clearance certified tree trimming and removal

Tree trimming and removal near power lines in western Montana

Line-clearance certified tree trimming and removal near power lines and service drops across Missoula and the Bitterroot Valley, coordinated with your utility.

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Tree Work Near Power Lines

Line-clearance certified tree trimming and removal

Trees and power lines are the one combination in tree work where a mistake does not get a second try. A limb does not have to touch a line to be dangerous, and a tree that is quiet on a calm day can swing into a conductor in the first wind. That is why most tree companies have to turn this work down.

HJ Property Care & Tree Service LLC is certified for line-clearance work. Our crew is trained in the approach distances and methods the work requires, which lets us prune and remove trees on private property that are growing close to lines and service drops across Missoula and the Bitterroot Valley.

Some of this work belongs to the utility and some to the property owner, and it is not always obvious which. We sort that out with you first, and we coordinate with the utility when a line needs to be shut off or dropped for the work to be done safely.

Have a tree growing into the lines? Ask us to take a look.

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What this work covers

Every job near a line starts with working out who is responsible and what is energized:

Pruning trees on private property away from lines
Clearing the service drop that runs from the pole to the house
Removing trees that have outgrown the space under a line
Sectional removal where a tree stands beside or beneath conductors
Coordinating a temporary shutoff or line drop with the utility
Advice on what to plant, and not plant, under lines
Storm response once the utility has made the site safe

Who is responsible for which tree

Utilities manage vegetation along their own lines, on their own schedule, to keep the power on. What they clear and how often is their decision, and the place to start for a tree in the main lines along the road is a call to the utility that serves you. Our guide to who trims trees near power lines in Montana sets out what the local utilities say about it.

The line that runs from the pole to your house is a different matter, and so are trees on your property that are near lines but not yet in them. That is where a private, line-clearance qualified crew comes in. We tell you which category your tree falls in before quoting, so you are not paying for something the utility would do, or waiting on the utility for something it will not.

How the work is done safely

The first step is always to establish what is energized and how close the work will come to it. Where the job can be done while keeping the required distance, it is planned so that no cut piece can swing or fall toward the line, which usually means smaller pieces, more rigging, and more time than the same tree would take in the open.

Where it cannot, the line has to be made safe first. For a service drop that normally means arranging with the utility to disconnect or drop the line for the duration of the work and reconnect it afterward. We schedule around that so the power is off for as short a time as possible.

Pruning near lines is still pruning. Cuts are made back to a branch or the trunk so the tree is directed away from the line as it regrows, and we do not top trees. A tree that will always be too big for the space is better removed and replaced with something that fits. See best trees to plant in western Montana.

If a tree or limb is already on a line

Do not go near it, and do not let anyone else. Treat every line as live, including one that is on the ground or sagging, and anything touching it as live too: the tree, a fence, wet ground. Call 911 and your utility.

Nobody works on that tree, including us, until the utility has confirmed the line is de-energized. Once it has, our emergency tree and storm response crew can clear it. The warning signs that come before a failure are covered in signs a tree is about to fail.

Good to know

Tree Work Near Power Lines questions

Common questions about our tree work near power lines in Missoula and the Bitterroot Valley.

Utilities clear trees along their own lines on their own schedule. Whether a particular tree qualifies is the utility's decision, so call them first for a tree in the main lines. Trees near the line to your house, or near lines but not in the utility's clearing zone, are usually the owner's responsibility.

No. Work near energized lines requires line-clearance qualification and specific approach distances. Our crew holds that certification.

We strongly advise against it. The service drop carries enough electricity to kill, and a branch or a metal ladder does not need to touch it for long. Have a qualified crew do it, with the line disconnected if needed.

Sometimes. If the work can be done while keeping the required distance, no. If not, we arrange a temporary disconnect or line drop with the utility and schedule the work around it.

Stay well away, keep others away, and call 911 and your utility. Assume the line and everything touching it is live. Tree work starts only after the utility has made the line safe.

Small-maturing trees and shrubs that will never reach the conductors. Ask the utility for its planting guidance, and ask us if you want help choosing something suited to the site.

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