CORE Electric Cooperative maintains an aggressive vegetation management program to minimize fire risk and outages. We work year-round to clear overhead distribution lines within our 5,000-square-mile service area and address member reports of hazardous vegetation.
Vegetation management along overhead distribution and transmission line rights of way helps reduce power outages for our members and enhances safety for our members, employees and contractors. We use an inspection process that identifies vegetation that could be a hazard to the lines and ensures that vegetation management activities follow our pruning and clearance specifications.
With over 5,000 miles of overhead lines across the service territory, scheduled pruning and hazard tree removal is spread out during a 6-year cycle where we visit every distribution circuit at least once. To ensure that vegetation does not interfere with the power lines before the next inspection, pruning specifications require a clearance of 10 to 24 feet, depending on species.
If your area is scheduled to be inspected and maintained, you will receive a letter in the mail notifying you prior to work. You will then be contacted by our pre-inspectors to discuss the work prior to it being performed.
CORE uses qualified line clearance contractors to perform much of our vegetation management work. Trucks and crews performing these tasks in your community will display ‘CORE Contractor’ decals on their trucks. These contractors are required to follow industry standards and guidelines for safety, quality and tree health. Members, property owners, and untrained contractors should not prune or cut trees and plants near power lines.
Please contact us at (800) 332-9540 if you see a potentially hazardous tree or other vegetation concern that threatens our power lines. We will assess the risk posed to our equipment and, if necessary, remove the potential hazard at no cost to you. You may also contact us with any questions, comments or concerns about the vegetation management program.
How you can help
CORE members can help us reduce the danger presented by vegetation:
Near overhead lines ...
Survey lines on or adjacent to your property and:
• Contact us to report any vegetation that touches lines, transformers or other CORE equipment or facilities. Also report any vegetation that appears singed, browned or scorched by lines and equipment, even if it doesn’t appear to be making contact at the time you report.
• Report any fully dead trees – those that are completely brown, have no leaves or are losing needles – or trees that appear to have rot and/or insects in them and appear to be tall enough to hit our lines and other equipment if they fall.
• Let us know about excessive vegetation around poles topped by transformers and other equipment so that we can clear it.
• Do not attempt to trim or clear vegetation near or touching CORE equipment. We will mitigate it free of charge.
When planting trees or other vegetation ...
• Locate shrubbery, trees and other features so that they will not grow to interfere with lines, transformers and other equipment.
• Do not plant any tree within the right-of-way surrounding overhead transmission lines, or any tree expected to grow beyond 10 feet within the right-of-way surrounding overhead distribution lines.
• Plant trees at least 20 feet from distribution and transmission poles and structures.
• No trees or shrubs should be planted within 10 feet of the front of underground equipment boxes, or 4 feet on other sides.