Grant PUD Urges Removal of “Troublesome” Trees

The Grant County PUD is urging customers to assist with tree removal.

Grant County is unusually gusty; outstretched tree limbs sometimes infringe on power lines, causing outages.

The PUD says it has complete discretion. The utility reserves the right to prune unwanted branches or eliminate trees altogether - even if property owners object vehemently.

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A press release invokes the "legal right and obligation to trim interfering trees to ensure our electrical grid is safe and reliable for all customers."

"Since public safety is paramount to our mission, we don't need the owner's permission to trim, nor will we give prior notice before trimming."

But the utility insists it would rather go about this in a cooperative fashion.

Property owners are asked to remove lanky, intrusive trees and "replant smaller trees species." The utility defines "small" as not more than 20 feet in height at maturity. Click here for a partial list of climate-appropriate species.

Trees of any size should be kept well away from power lines - at least 20 feet of horizontal distance. Additional info pertaining to vegetation management can be found here.