Vegetation Management

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 3-year cycle (compared to a 5-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. An excellent resource is to visit is the Arborday Foundation website.

Power Friendly Planting

Always call Underground Locating (dial 811) at least 48 hours before you plan to dig.  One of their company representatives will come out and locate existing buried conductors around the transformer.

The tendency is for homeowners to plant around the padmount transformer to “cover up the green box”.  However, PenLight’s workers need room to work safely on this energized device. Obstructions can cause delays in power restoration and overgrown or hindering vegetation can create an unsafe working environment.

•  Don’t plant trees near padmount transformers! A tree’s large root system could lift the concrete pad and potentially create a power outage.
• Don’t plant vines or ivy that can attach to and potentially damage the transformer.
• Don’t place dirt or wood chips against any portion of the transformer, as this could also cause it to overheat.
• Keep all shrubs, fences and other permanent structures no closer than 12 feet from the front and 6 feet from the back and sides.
• Select plants that are slow growing and easy to maintain. Avoid using plants with thorns (i.e., barberry, blackberry, hawthorn or roses).
• Don’t over plant—use a few properly selected plants (see the Recommended Species Selection guide.
• Don’t allow plants to overgrow the transformer. Valuable equipment can overheat and become damaged.
• Grid Numbers and/or company locks must be visible at all times.
• Don’t change grade levels around the padmount transformer for a distance of 6 feet or less.

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.
• 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 4-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 (PDF) and email PenLight Forestry Coordinator the completed form or 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.