Vegetation Management

Bryan Texas Utilities always strives to provide our customers with low rates and high reliability.

To help keep the lights on vegetation management, also known as “tree trimming”, is performed to keep branches and overgrowth from contacting overhead powerlines and interrupting your service.

Here is some information about the Vegetation Management process, and what you can do to help.

Report a Tree Issue

Vegetation within the right-of-way can create an obstacle when our crews need to perform maintenance or restore power during an outage. When high winds and other inclement weather occur, tree limbs can break off and fall into lines, causing lengthy outages. BTU proactively clears the right-of-way to lessen the threat to system safety and reliability.

With more than 2,400 miles of overhead transmission and distribution line to maintain, BTU has a 4-5 year “trim cycle” to ensure that we adequately trim vegetation throughout our entire service territory, which includes all of Brazos, and parts of Burleson, and Robertson counties.

Prior to work beginning in your area, you will receive notification typically in the form of a door hanger on your front door, or gate, to inform you that crews will be on your property. A phone number will be provided should you have questions or concerns about their presence.

One challenge of this maintenance is achieving the required long-term clearance while also preserving the aesthetic value of your trees. With trimming being performed every 4-5 years, crews must cut enough to keep them within clearance until they return next time. Some factors that determine the method of trimming include the branch structure, the position in the right-of-way, and the proximity of the lines. Industry-accepted principles of proper arboriculture are practiced to prevent damage to your trees.

Branches that contact the service line, also known as a “service drop”, running from the utility pole to your meter are not normally pruned by our crews. However, at your request, BTU will disconnect the service line and move it clear of the limbs to allow you or your contractor to safely prune, or remove, the tree.

When planting new trees or bushes, always be aware of the proximity to overhead lines. Know the maximum mature height of the tree, and make sure that it is a minimum of 20 feet away from the line.

It is never recommended that a customer attempt to prune trees that are contacting, or are in close proximity to, power lines. Even commercial arborists must be “line clearance certified” to work closer than 10 feet to electrical lines. It is an extremely hazardous project that should only be attempted by professionals.

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