Landscaping and tree planting can enhance the beauty and enjoyment of your property, but please consider the proper placement of trees and shrubs. It is paramount to delivering reliable power to you, as well as ensuring the safety of those who work on your electrical facilities.

Plan ahead
The smaller plants of today will eventually grow into large ones, so we ask you to think and plan ahead. After all, providing reliable electric service is a top priority of Hancock-Wood employees. That is why we are serious about managing and maintaining our right-of-way (right-of-way is the permission given to Hancock-Wood to install and maintain electric service).

If you are changing your existing landscape or putting in an entire yard, please landscape safely and be sure to leave space around utility equipment -- both in the ground and in the air -- so that Hancock-Wood employees can easily maintain electric service to your home.

Around power lines

• Avoid planting trees under power lines. The little tree you are planting today could eventually grow into the lines, creating a safety hazard not only for our maintenance crews, but also for the children who climb them. The limbs could break off and become entangled in the power lines causing serious problems. They are also a frequent cause of power outages.
  
• We spend hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to deal with tree and power line problems. Two solutions are removing weak or hazardous trees and encouraging the regular pruning of trees near power lines.
  
• Trees or shrubs that are too close to poles may be trimmed or damaged by utility workers who need access to the poles.
  
• Be sure the trunk and branches will not reach within ten feet of overhead electric lines when fully grown.

Around ground equipment

• Although it’s tempting to landscape next to ground mounted utility equipment, avoid doing so. During an outage, we’ll probably need access to your equipment.
  
• Keep shrubs and structures at least 12 feet from the “door” of the pad-mount transformer and at least 3 feet from other sides.
  
• If landscaping is placed too close to the transformer, service
  restoration efforts can be delayed and not enough air circulation can cause equipment failure. In addition, workers must sometimes cut down the plantings to perform the restoration work.
  
• Don’t forget the meter -- although your meter is automatically read every month, we still sometimes need access to check it. So, keep shrubs trimmed to allow visibility to your meter. Also, please do not fence in the meter.

Don’t forget to call 811
Building a deck? Planting a tree? Installing a mailbox? 811 is the new number you should call before you begin any digging project.

A federally-mandated national "Call Before You Dig" number, 811 was created to help protect you from unintentionally hitting underground utility lines while working on digging projects. People digging often make risky assumptions about whether or not they should get their utility lines marked due to concerns about project delays, costs and previous calls about other projects. These assumptions can be life-threatening.

Every digging job requires a call – even small projects like planting trees or shrubs. If you hit an underground utility line while digging, you can harm yourself or those around you, disrupt service to an entire neighborhood and potentially be responsible for fines and repair costs.

You may recall having to call OUPS (Ohio Utilities Protection Service) for this service. Calling 811 automatically routes you to OUPS, or you can call OUPS direct at 800-362-2764. Either way, you must call before you dig.

Facts For You to Know

• Trees account for more than half of all power interruptions.
• Tree damage to power lines can create severe public safety hazards such as fires or electrocution.
• Electricity travels at 186,000 miles per second and can flow through water. Spraying a power line could have the same effect as grabbing the line with your bare hand.
• Consider all electrical lines and electrical utility equipment dangerous. Keep away from them and keep all objects (ladders, antennas, kites, etc.) away from them.
• Warning signs are clearly posted at various locations and on utility equipment that may pose a threat of possible electrocution. These signs have been installed as a warning for your safety, so please read and obey.
• Keeping clear access to utility electric equipment gives line crews the room to perform inspections and repairs -- and keeps everyone safe.
• Note:  It is Hancock-Wood's policy only to locate the electrical wiring/facilities from the transformer to the meter base.

FAQ

• Can I trim my own tree?
  Yes, but only if you can maintain a safe distance of at least 10 feet from power lines and other electrical equipment. There is a serious risk for any tree trimmer working close to a high voltage power line. If you have a tree that is too close to power lines for you to safely prune, call us.
• My trees aren’t touching the power lines, so why do you have to trim them?
  Hancock-Wood needs to take care of trees that could pose safety or reliability issues before someone is injured or experiences a power outage. This applies to trees with branches that could come into contact with power lines during heavy winds, causing blinking lights or momentary outages.
• When and how will my trees be pruned?
  Hancock-Wood will prune a tree only when the tree poses the safety and reliability risks of coming into contact with power lines. Tree-trimming crews are very diligent in trimming only what is absolutely necessary. National standards require that a minimum distance of 10 feet from energized or potentially energized electrical equipment must be maintained.
• Where should I plant trees and shrubs?
  When full-grown, trees and shrubs must be at least 10 feet away from power lines and other utility equipment such as transformers.