Vegetation

Trees contribute greatly to the natural beauty of our community, but if not properly managed, they can create power outages by touching or even falling on the power lines. PenLight contracts with Asplundh Tree Service to help control the growth of trees near the power transmission lines. Trees in each area of our service territory are responsibly groomed on a three-year cycle (compared to a five-year cycle by some other utilities) in a way that also maintains the integrity of the natural surroundings.

Our Vegetation department also works to educate the public about which trees and shrubs are not only attractive, but are also appropriate to plant near power corridors. Planting the right tree in the right place will not only free the powerlines from future vegetation maintenance, but will also protect street/sidewalk visibility and prevent damage to pavement, sidewalks, sewers and buildings.  For important guidelines to follow regarding any plants near padmount transformers and meter bases, see our Power Friendly Planting Guide for more information. Another excellent resource is to visit Arborday.org Treeline USA.

Wood Chip Requests

Our tree pruning crews recycle the tree limbs and other materials into valuable wood chips that are good for mulching and other landscaping uses. There is a high demand for wood chips to be left on homeowner properties. In order to efficiently and equitably manage the distribution of chips, we follow these guidelines:

• If a full truckload of wood chips is generated from a single property owner, that property owner shall be eligible to receive the whole load of chips at his/her property, if the Wood Chip Dump Site Request form has been submitted and approved (see form below).
• If the single property owner does not want the wood chips, OR the full load of chips has been generated from more than one property, then the chips will be delivered to the closest approved dump site.
• Tree work is done on a three to four-year cycle by circuit. If the tree crews were just in your area, they will not be back for another three to four years unless special circumstances arise.

Approved Dump Sites

A decision by either the crew foreman or PenLight’s Forestry Coordinator will be made to determine whether a dump site is approved or not.  Narrow or steep driveways, wet areas or roadways, or small turn arounds could cause a dumpsite to be disapproved.  To apply for approval, please print and completely fill out the Wood Chip Dump Site Request form (fillable) and email it to mail it to:

A determination will then be made on the status of your dumpsite. If approved, you will be added to the Chip List and chips will be delivered at the convenience of the crew foreman.