At Umatilla Electric Cooperative, the safety of our members and communities is important. Managing trees and brush around power lines helps protect your property and the greater community from the risks of wildfires and outages. By carefully maintaining our rights of way, we help ensure a steady, reliable flow of electricity to homes, farms, and businesses — and we create safer spaces for everyone.
Currently, UEC vegetation management crews are working in the East District (Weston Mountain and Mission areas) to proactively trim and clear trees and brush, helping to maintain a safe and reliable system.
This important work not only follows legal requirements for utilities, but also reflects our commitment to working hand-in-hand with landowners to protect the beauty and safety of the communities we serve.
Our Ongoing Preventative Measures
- Every year, we trim thousands of trees, clear vegetation, and shred underbrush beneath power lines in high-density areas.
- In high-risk areas, we seasonally reconfigure protective equipment to shut down power lines on the first sign of an electrical fault. The line won’t be re-energized until it is inspected and manually reset. On portions of overhead power lines, we install current-limiting fuses, which are filled with sand, to help isolate faults and eliminate arcing.
Tree crews may remove or prune trees or brush identified as in the right of way of power lines. If these trees are on your property, the main trunk and large limbs will be left at your house for your use.
It is important to recognize that the trees are not trimmed for aesthetic purposes, but rather for safety. To the left is a photo of some of the shapes you may expect from proper pruning around power lines.
For more information about tree trimming, visit our Vegetation Management Page or our Tree Trimming Frequently Asked Questions.
Precautions to Protect Your Property
- You can help us protect our communities from wildfire by maintaining a defensible space around your home. Clear a 30-foot radius around your home of anything that may burn. This space is needed to slow or stop the spread of wildfire and it helps protect your home from catching fire.
- Consider the fire resistance of your home and the topography of your property. Use the Homeowners Checklist on our website to learn what you can do to make your home more fire-resistant.
For more about UEC's wildfire mitigation practices, please visit our Avoiding Wildfire Damage page.