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Overgrown Trees Near Power Lines
in Columbia, SC
Columbia's fast-growing trees, especially sweetgum and water oak, can put two to three feet of new growth per year into power line corridors. Once branches are touching the lines, a storm or even a dry windy day can cause an arc, a fire, or a neighborhood outage. The utility company will cut what they need to cut, and the result is usually an ugly unbalanced tree that is more likely to fail in the next storm.
Quick Answer
When tree branches grow into power lines, you have a fire hazard and a guaranteed outage source during any storm. SCE&G and Dominion Energy crews will trim trees that touch their lines, but they trim for clearance only, not for the health of the tree. If the tree is too close to manage safely, removal is the right answer. This is not a wait-and-see situation.
Telltale Signs
Warning Signs to Watch For
- Branches visibly resting on or wrapped around power lines
- Flickering lights inside the house that get worse during windy weather
- Burn marks or blackened bark near where branches contact the line
- The utility company has already sent a notice about the tree
- A strong smell of ozone near the tree during humid evenings
Root Causes
What Causes Overgrown Trees Near Power Lines?
Fast Tree Growth Into Line Corridor
Sweetgum and tulip poplar trees planted in yards near Five Points and the Rosewood neighborhood in the 1990s are now mature and still adding significant height each year. Once the canopy reaches the 35-foot range, it is in primary line territory and there is no way to prune it back far enough without wrecking the structure of the tree.
The Fix
Full Tree Removal
We remove the tree in sections from the top down, working around the lines carefully. Once the tree is gone, the line hazard is gone permanently.
Utility Topping Creating Weak Regrowth
When the power company tops a tree to clear a line, the tree responds by sending out many fast-growing weak shoots from the cut points. Those shoots are poorly attached and grow right back into the lines within a few years, and they break off easier than the original branches did.
The Fix
Removal of Topped Tree
A topped tree that keeps growing back into the lines is not a pruning problem anymore. Removing it is cheaper over a ten-year span than repeated trimming cycles.
Self-Diagnosis
Which Cause Applies to You?
Check the signs you're observing to narrow down the likely root cause before your inspection.
| What You're Seeing | Fast Tree Growth Into Line Corridor | Utility Topping Creating Weak Regrowth |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple thin upright shoots growing from old pruning cuts near the top | ||
| Tree canopy is growing toward lines from below with no prior trimming | ||
| Flickering lights that started after the utility company trimmed the tree | ||
| Tree is over 40 feet tall and planted directly under the line path |
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An on-site inspection is the only way to confirm which cause applies to your property. Free, no obligation.
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