Reliability & Tree Trimming

We love trees. We just hate power outages.

You depend on us to deliver your power reliably and we take your trust seriously.

Public Service Company of Oklahoma is constantly working to improve the reliability of your power by minimizing the number and length of outages, and the number of customers affected by each outage. Of course, outages occur for a variety of reasons, but trees and brush remain a major cause. Thanks to decades of vegetation management, outages have been significantly reduced, though there's still room for improvement.

At least every four years, you may see our crews in your neighborhood assessing the trees around our power lines and equipment, trimming limbs back, or removing any trees that pose a threat to continued power delivery. We use experienced arborists to facilitate our vegetation management program.

What to Expect When Tree Maintenance is Happening in Your Neighborhood

If tree maintenance is planned for your neighborhood, that means some trees and vegetation may be trimmed or removed to maintain a safe delivery of power to your home. Our goal during this process is to keep you informed and updated as work takes place.

PSO contractors perform work required to meet our regulatory obligation to maintain a four-year vegetation maintenance cycle. This has helped greatly in preventing trees from growing into the power lines, causing outages and nuisance power “blinks”, safety hazards, and delays in service restoration if an outage does occur.

Here are some details about how this work will be conducted.

• All work will be performed under the direction of PSO Foresters who are experienced in mitigating vegetation related outages.
• In general, trees must be pruned to provide approximately 10 to 15 feet of clearance from the nearest power line, and all branches overhanging close to the power lines will be removed. Stumps and small seedlings/saplings will be treated to control re-sprouting and growth. Vines growing on poles will be cut at ground level and treated with an approved herbicide application.
• If a tree must be removed from a yard, PSO may offer homeowners a voucher to participating nurseries for a suitable replacement tree or other shrubbery. Homeowners are encouraged to contact the PSO Forestry Infoline to discuss appropriate tree species and proper planting locations.
• PSO contractors will haul away any limbs and brush removed from your tree as a part of our maintenance trimming and removal program or utilize mechanical mowers to mulch limbs and brush in unmaintained areas.

We offer two basic options to gain the needed clearance between the power lines and the trees growing alongside and under the lines.

1. PSO contractors will perform all of the needed tree work (no out-of-pocket expense to you).
2. Property owners may hire and pay out of their own pockets a private tree maintenance contractor to trim their trees on an annual or other more-frequent schedule. Property owners who take this approach must agree to develop their plans in consultation with PSO's foresters and in compliance with regulations. To ensure safety, customers must hire contractors who are certified to perform tree work near energized power lines.

Never attempt to trim trees near power lines. Serious or fatal injuries could occur.

Our Commitment to Finding the Best Solution

We're committed to working with you individually to respond to questions and address any concerns you have regarding our planned work. Our goal is to work together to develop solutions to concerns.

If an agreement can't be reached, PSO uses the Early Settlement Program, a helpful statewide mediation service. A neutral, trained mediator assists both parties in finding a solution that works for everyone.

Please contact PSO's Forestry Infoline at 1.877.367.6815 if you would like a consultation with a PSO Forestry Representative. Upon your request, we can provide you a detailed work plan for your property and/or meet you on site to discuss any necessary work.

The Infoline is monitored Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. After -hours you may leave your name, phone number and a message. Calls will be returned the next business day.

Reporting a Questionable Tree

If you have a questionable tree on your property that is near power lines, please complete this form. Our forestry team will inspect the trees to determine what work is needed and either speak to you directly or leave a door hanger with our assessment. We only trim or remove trees that are growing too close to power lines that run from power pole to power pole.

You should never attempt to trim or remove trees near power lines. Serious injury or even death can occur. Working on trees near power lines should only be attempted by trained professionals.

Report safety hazards immediately. If there is safety hazard that poses an immediate risk, such as a downed pole or branches that have fallen on power lines, please report it immediately by calling 833.PSO.POWR (833.776.7697). Never go near or touch a power line.

We don’t trim trees that are threatening your service drop (the line that runs from our pole to your house). That is the responsibility of the property owner. For your safety, call 833.PSO.POWR (833.776.7697) at least two business days before you schedule the work and we can send a crew to temporarily disconnect the service line.

PSO Employees Focus On Reliability

To learn more about PSO's reliability work, see these resources:

• Landscaping around ground-level electric facilities.
• Glossary of terminology used in PSO's tree trimming plan and report.
• Pruning Trees Near Electric Utility Lines details the industry standard for professional line clearance practices at PSO and across the U.S. Excerpts from the booklet are posted with permission from the publisher. Copies of the book are available at local book stores or by contacting the publishing company.