Your trees are your responsibility, and if they encroach on the clearance zone or MIS of the powerlines, they can burn and compromise the electricity supply, sometimes causing loss of power.

Due to the high risks when working around trees near powerlines, we would recommend that any trimming within 4 meters of the power lines be performed by a professional Arborist.

The Treeman works with Counties Energy, the commercial sector, and the general public to ensure trees on private property are kept clear of power lines. Our qualified arborists specialize in providing safe and efficient clearance, ensuring the uninterrupted flow of electricity and protecting your property and loved ones.

Maintaining a safe distance between trees and powerlines is not just about aesthetics; it’s a matter of safety and reliability. Here’s why regular powerline clearing is so important:

• Prevents Electrical Hazards: Trees touching or growing too close to power lines can conduct electricity, creating a serious risk of electrocution, fires, and damage to electrical equipment.

 

• Reduces Power Outages: Contact between trees and power lines is a leading cause of power outages, especially during storms and high winds. Proactive clearing minimizes these disruptions, ensuring a more reliable power supply to your home.

 

• Ensures Public Safety: Untamed vegetation near power lines can pose a risk to pedestrians and vehicles. Maintaining clear access around power infrastructure is crucial for public safety.

 

• Compliance with Regulations: Electricity providers in Auckland have strict regulations regarding vegetation encroachment on power lines. As a homeowner, you have a responsibility to ensure these clearances are maintained.

Dealing with trees near powerlines requires strict adherence to safety regulations. Our experienced team is trained to work safely around electrical infrastructure. We can arrange the disconnection of power where necessary to provide comprehensive tree trimming around powerlines, including:

• Risk Assessment and Consultation: We will identify the lines’ voltage and assess the trees’ proximity to power lines on your property. We can then discuss the best course of action to ensure safety and compliance.

 

• Safe Tree Trimming: Using best practice equipment and techniques, we will strategically trim the trees to achieve the clearance required to maintain a safe distance from the powerlines. When doing this, we consider the growth rate and pattern of the tree to obtain a reasonable period of clearance over the maximum amount of time.

 

• Removal of Hazardous Branches: We can identify and remove any branches that pose an immediate risk to powerlines.

 

• Responsible Debris Removal: We ensure all trimmed branches and debris are safely and efficiently removed from your property where requested so they do not pose an additional risk to the safety of pedestrians.

If you notice your tree is burning in the lines or you can see the foliage closest to the lines appears to be dead, you can be confident the tree is growing too close.

In high winds or heavy rain, the canopy will move closer to the lines with the movement in the wind or the weight of the rain, and cause singeing of the foliage. While this may not be an emergency, it may result in tripping the power, and the problem will need to be dealt with promptly to ensure there is consistency in the power supply.

If your tree or a tree branch falls on the power lines, stay away! Assume all lines are live.

If your tree is on fire in the lines call 111 and report it. Call your energy provider. Do not attempt to extinguish the fire with water. Water and electricity is a lethal combination. Leave this to the experts.

Consulting an Arborist will help to identify if the tree is a current risk or a potential future risk to your power supply or safety.

Don’t delay getting your tree trimmed. Reinstatement of power after a branch drops in the lines etc may be low on the priority list if it’s just for your property.

Cut or trim notice?
Sometimes, a power provider will issue a “cut or trim notice”. This is when your tree has been identified as encroaching on the growth-limit zone and must be trimmed. There is usually a notice period date indicating when this work must be completed, and you must comply with the notice.

Depending on the type of powerlines, we can arrange for the power to be de-energized if necessary, or we can work within certain limits around live lines.

How often should the trimming be done near powerlines?
Trees grow at very different rates, so we would recommend an annual inspection by the homeowner, but generally, trimming should occur every 2-4 years.

We can perform strategic pruning and aim to provide good clearance over a number of years by cutting to encourage future growth away from any powerlines.