• Plant leafy trees on the south and west sides of your home to provide shade on hot summer days. The leaves will fall off in the autumn and allow warm summer sunlight to help heat your home during winter.
• Plant shrubs and ground cover around your house to help reduce heat buildup.
• Place evergreen trees on the north and northwest sides of your home to provide year-round windbreaks from outside air.

Look above and check below

Before you begin your landscaping project, call 811 to have underground utility lines marked. Knowing the location of underground utility lines on your property will help you avoid injury, service outages, and costly repairs. For more information, see����from the U.S. Department of ���ϳԹ���.��

Also make sure you check above before digging in!��Locate your power lines and make sure that what you are planting and where you are planting will not interfere with your electric service now or in the years to come.��Check with your local nursery if you are unsure of how big your tree is expected to grow. Learn more about the distance you need around the poles in your area with our tree trimming guide.

A growing problem

Trees can be a contributing factor to as many as 50% of power outages. Problems can occur suddenly, such as when a branch breaks during a wind or ice storm. Issues can also develop over time through natural growth patterns, with growing branches crowding or rubbing against power lines.

Trees located near power lines represent a real threat to children who may be tempted to climb them, or to homeowners attempting to tackle a tree-trimming job on their own. Limbs and branches that come into contact with power lines may themselves become energized.

Trimming back

To improve safety and reduce the risk of power outages, Entergy maintains a vigilant program of tree trimming. We trim trees only when necessary, and we go to extra effort to preserve the health of the trees to the degree possible. To do this, we follow specifications developed by the International Society of Arboriculture. In addition, the has repeatedly named Entergy a Tree Line USA utility as a result of our commitment to proper tree pruning, planting and care in our service area.��

Directional pruning techniques guide new growth away from power lines. Limbs or portions of limbs growing near power lines are trimmed back to the main branch or trunk, where they would naturally shed if the limbs died from natural causes. This preserves the natural defense system of the tree and minimizes impact on the crown. In some situations, an entire tree is removed. This may be because the tree is leaning toward a power line or it has a structural defect that increases its risk of falling.

Right place, right tree

Adding trees to your landscape? Carefully consider different tree species and how they may affect power lines on your grounds. No tree should be planted near high-voltage transmission lines. Some species, however, normally grow to a mature height of 20 feet or less. These include:

• Crabapple
• Flowering Dogwood
• Hawthorne
• Bristlecone Pine
• Common Juniper
• Trident, Amur, Paperback and Tartarian Maples
• Rose Acacia

These species can typically provide an attractive addition to your landscape without interfering with distribution lines. The following species, however, grow particularly tall and should be planted no closer than 60 feet from distribution lines:

• Oak
• Colorado Blue Spruce
• Silver and Norway Maples
• Most pine species

If you’re planning a landscape project, overhead power lines are not your only concern. Knowing where utility lines are buried can help you avoid injury, service outages and costly repairs. Call 811 to have underground lines marked before you dig.

If you see a tree or branch that looks dangerously close to the power lines (pole-to-pole), you can call��1-800-ENTERGY��(1-800-368-3749) and report it.��A representative of Entergy will assess the situation and advise what needs to be done.

Content provided for Entergy customers, Powered by Questline Relationship Builder. ©Questline Inc.

One of the best ways to reduce interruption to electric service is by maintaining adequate clearance between power lines and trees.

Entergy has 3,000 miles of transmission lines in Mississippi. Trimming trees along these lines from the ground can be challenging due to the terrain and access to the area where the transmission lines are located. Also, ground-based equipment cannot always reach the tops of the trees, so Entergy Mississippi uses another tool from its reliability toolbox: the aerial saw.

“Vegetation management is an important way to prevent outages, especially during severe weather,” said Shawn Corkran, vice president, reliability. “Having this tool allows us to cover the ground where trimming is necessary in far less time and at a reduced cost.”

The aerial saw, which Entergy recently brought back into operation in partnership with Aerial Solutions, Inc., extends 130 feet below a hovering helicopter and includes ten 24-inch blades. With a gentle throttle by the pilot, the suspended circular saw blades can trim a targeted 20-foot path through a clustered Southern tree line along the edge of a towering transmission line.

Through a massive team effort involving crews from vegetation management, capital projects, safety, power delivery, aviation and operations, an aerial saw project launched recently in Mississippi. After first trimming trees in an area between Vicksburg and Natchez, the crews moved on to trim vegetation along transmission lines between Clinton and Greenville. Additional areas for trimming may be added as those areas are completed.

Typical ground-based tree trimming equipment reaches a maximum height of 65-70 feet in the air. With the aerial saw, the sky is the limit. Using the aerial saw allows crews to complete projects in a fraction of the time that ground-based equipment takes. A project that would take eight months to complete with ground-based equipment can be completed in approximately four weeks with the aerial saw. Cutting down the time needed also reduces the costs of the projects.

“When we put together our tree-trimming strategy, the most important things to consider are the safety of our crew members, the ability to maximize reliability for our customers, and the efficiency of the operation in order to manage costs,” said Curtis Robertson, operations coordinator for Entergy’s vegetation support team. “The aerial saw is achieving all of the above, systemwide.”

Entergy performs trimming on transmission rights-of-way on an as-needed basis determined by aerial and ground-based patrols. Crews use industry measures to preserve the health of the trees to the degree possible. To do this, we follow specifications developed by the International Society of Arboriculture.

In addition, the����has repeatedly named Entergy a Tree Line USA utility as a result of our commitment to proper tree pruning, planting and care in our service area.��Learn more here.

Trimming around transmission lines represents just one facet of vegetation management. Entergy Mississippi also trims and removes trees that are too close to distribution lines. Learn more about how we trim trees.

One of the best ways to reduce interruption to electric service is by maintaining adequate clearance between power lines and trees. There are more than 16,000 miles of transmission lines carrying high-voltage electricity to communities throughout Entergy’s service territory. The aerial saw provides a safe and efficient tool for crews to maintain vegetation around power transmission and distribution systems.

“There is no comparison when I think about the effectiveness of this tool,” said Curtis Robertson, Operations Coordinator for Entergy’s Vegetation Support team. “From the marshes in Louisiana to the mountains in Arkansas and everything in between, managing vegetation around our lines can be challenging with ground-based equipment. To operate in many of these environments, there is no better tool at our disposal than the aerial saw.”

Typical ground-based tree trimming equipment reaches a maximum height of 65-70 feet in the air. With the aerial saw, the sky is the limit. Robertson remarked that a recent project in Arkansas – which would typically require up to 8 months to complete with traditional, ground-based equipment – was completed in just 4 weeks with the aerial saw.

Due to the extraordinary efficiency of this tool, Entergy’s vegetation management teams are able to replace some of the higher-cost, manual trimming activities across Entergy’s service territory to save both time and money.

“When we put together our tree-trimming strategy, the most important things to consider are the safety of our crew members, the ability to maximize reliability for our customers, and the efficiency of the operation in order to manage costs,” said Robertson. “The aerial saw is achieving all of the above, systemwide.”

Entergy performs trimming on transmission right-of-ways on an as-needed basis determined by aerial and ground based patrols. Crews use industry measures to preserve the health of the trees to the degree possible. To do this, we follow specifications developed by the International Society of Arboriculture.

In addition, the����has repeatedly named Entergy a Tree Line USA utility as a result of our commitment to proper tree pruning, planting and care in our service area.��Learn more here.

�ճ������recognizes electric utilities for implementing best practices that protect and develop America’s urban tree canopy. The program is a partnership between the Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters, which promotes delivering safe and reliable electricity while maintaining healthy community forests.

“Trees and vegetation are part of our region’s natural environment and also one of the leading causes of power outages for utilities,” said Charles Long, interim senior vice president of power delivery. “Entergy has a robust vegetation management program that protects the power lines and ensures reliable electric service for our customers’ homes and businesses. At the same time, we’re helping sustain both our urban and rural landscapes, which improves quality of life for our customers and communities.”

Entergy achieved the Tree Line USA recognition by meeting five program standards: quality tree care, annual worker training, tree planting and public education, a tree-based energy conservation program, and a sponsorship of or participation in annual Arbor Day events.

“Trees are essential to creating more urban green spaces in communities across the United States,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “In addition, they provide important benefits to residents, including clean air, clean water, and vital tree shade. Service providers like Entergy demonstrate how easily trees and utilities can co-exist for the benefit of communities and residents.”

By joining the Tree Line USA program, energy service providers benefit from lowering line clearance costs due to proper pruning. As a result of those properly pruned and maintained trees, customers and communities benefit from increased reliability of service because those trees will have healthy root systems that decay less, have less structural weakness, and ultimately result in fewer downed lines during storms.

For more information about Entergy’s tree management practices,��visit Entergy’s website.

The recognizes electric utilities for implementing best practices that protect and develop America’s urban tree canopy. The program is a partnership between the Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters, which promotes delivering safe and reliable electricity while maintaining healthy community forests.

“Trees and vegetation are part of our region’s natural environment and also one of the leading causes of power outages for utilities,” said Rick Riley, senior vice president of distribution operations and asset management. “Entergy has a robust vegetation management program that protects the lines that deliver power to customers’ homes and businesses and ensures reliable electric service. At the same time, we are helping sustain both our urban and rural landscapes, which improves quality of life in our communities.”

Entergy achieved the Tree Line USA recognition by meeting five program standards: quality tree care, annual worker training, tree planting and public education, a formal tree-based energy conservation, and a sponsorship of or participation in annual Arbor Day events.

“Trees are essential to creating more urban green spaces in communities across the United States,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “In addition, they provide important benefits to residents, including clean air, clean water, and vital tree shade. Service providers like Entergy demonstrate how easily trees and utilities can co-exist for the benefit of communities and residents.”

By joining the Tree Line USA program, energy service providers benefit from lowering line clearance costs due to proper pruning. As a result of those properly pruned and maintained trees, customers and communities benefit from increased reliability of service because those trees will have healthy root systems that decay less, have less structural weakness, and ultimately result in fewer downed lines during storms.

For more information about Entergy’s tree care practices, visit Entergy’s website.

, a partnership between the Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters, recognizes public and private utilities for pursuing practices that protect and enhance America’s urban trees. Tree Line USA promotes the dual goals of delivering safe and reliable electricity while maintaining healthy community forests.

“Trees are a critical part of urban landscapes all across the United States,” said Dan Lambe, president of the Arbor Day Foundation. “They provide important benefits to residents, including clean air and water. Service providers like Entergy��demonstrate that it’s possible for trees and utilities to co-exist for the benefit of communities and citizens.”

Entergy��achieved Tree Line USA by meeting five program standards. Utilities must follow industry standards for quality tree care; provide annual worker training in best tree care practices; sponsor a tree planting and public education program; maintain a tree-based energy conservation program; and participate in an Arbor Day celebration.

The Arbor Day Foundation is a million-member nonprofit conservation and education organization with the mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. More information on the Foundation and its programs can be found at��.

Robert White, who coordinates tree trimming for Entergy Arkansas in the Little Rock area, was at a job site in the Heights neighborhood the afternoon of July 1 when a man holding the limp body of his two-year-old son ran into the residential street hollering, “Somebody help me!”

White immediately recognized a potentially life-threatening situation and first called 911 on his mobile phone. “Then I ran over to where the man was, got him out of the road and started checking the child’s breathing and pulse.”

White is married to a trauma nurse at UAMS and has a heightened sense of the need to be prepared. All Entergy field employees are also trained in CPR. On his own, White had taken things a step further and gotten trained in infant CPR. Also, all Entergy jobs in the field include an exercise in which potential hazards are identified and all on site know the 911 address of the site and the location of the nearest hospital. Because of this, White knew exactly where to tell 911 to send first responders.

“I put my ear on his chest to check for a heartbeat and felt for a pulse in his wrist and neck. Also I was watching his chest to make sure he was breathing.” The child was ill with a high fever, but vitals were okay, and White relayed this information to the 911 operator.

“I was fully ready to give him CPR, to give him chest compressions, but I didn’t want to. Because it really becomes real at that moment. It’s serious. I was glad EMS showed up when they did,” White recalled.��

White checked on the family later and learned that the boy was home from the hospital and all was well.

A 19-year Entergy Arkansas veteran, White said, “I’m thankful that I work for a company that encourages and, in fact, requires employees to know what to do in case of emergency. And I’m glad I could be there for that family when they needed some help in the middle of a very scary situation.”

Tree Line USA, a partnership between the Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters, recognizes public and private utilities for pursuing practices that protect and enhance America’s urban trees. The Tree Line USA designation promotes the dual goals of delivering safe and reliable electricity while maintaining healthy community forests.

“Trees are a critical part of urban landscapes all across the United States,” said Dan Lambe, president of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Service providers like Entergy demonstrate that it’s possible for trees and utilities to co-exist for the benefit of communities and citizens.”

Entergy achieved the Tree Line USA designation by meeting five program standards. Utilities must follow industry standards for quality tree care; provide annual worker training in best tree-care practices; sponsor a tree-planting and public education program; maintain a tree-based energy conservation program; and participate in an Arbor Day celebration.

The Arbor Day Foundation is a million member nonprofit conservation and education organization with the mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. More information on the Foundation and its programs can be found at��.

We follow the U.S. Electrical Code and the pruning guidelines from the International Society of Arboriculture. We hire professional contractors to perform this work. They’re trained in Occupational Safety & Health Administration regulations and the latest arboricultural techniques and safety procedures.

While there is some variation based on types of trees and terrain, we aim to trim every distribution line once approximately every five years. This means we trim about a fifth of the lines in Arkansas every year, which is an enormous and costly undertaking. We currently spend just under $30 million every year trimming trees away from about 7,000 miles of lines. Trimming ��five years’-worth of growth is a significant cut, and, at times, there is no aesthetically pleasing way to do it and still maintain the necessary clearance from the electrical equipment. But it is necessary, and we appreciate customers’ patience and understanding.

The strategy behind the five-year trimming cycle considers both reliability of the system and costs of the tree trimming, as well as factoring in the cost of repairing tree-related storm damage. ��Because these costs are part of the costs to serve customers, trimming efficiently and effectively is one way we are able to keep our rates below both the national and regional averages.