When trees or shrubbery are too close to the home, many negative things can occur. But, on the other hand, regulating how close they are to your home can limit potential fire hazards, the number of rodents or insects in your home and protect your exterior from getting scraped up. This is pruning 101: near your home and power lines!

This is a Safety Task!

Trimming trees and shrubs helps prevent fire hazards and reduces the risk of dead branches or trees falling on people or damaging the house.  Do not attempt to trim trees close to power lines.

This is a Health Task!

When shrubs are too close to the home, they can become a nesting place for rodents, carrying various diseases and attracting snakes.

This is a Preventative Maintenance Task!

Trimming your trees back will prevent the wind from blowing the limbs back and forth, resulting in damage to the paint or wood siding, windows, and lighting fixtures of the house. The cost to repaint or replace siding is considerably more than having your trees and shrubs cut back.

Tasks can be done by: Homeowner, handyman, yard maintenance company, tree service

Pruning 101: Near Your Home and Power Lines | Task Steps

Step 1 – Inspect the exterior of your home

• Walk around the exterior of your house to see if any trees, limbs, or shrubs can fall on your home, cables, wires, fences, equipment, pools, and cause damage. Then, make a list of what needs to be cut down and trimmed back.
• Also, make sure that no trees or shrubs are touching your house. When the wind blows, it will cause the limbs to scratch your home, siding, windows, etc., causing costly repair. Also, the closer the shrubs are, the closer insects, termites, wood-boring bees, and snakes are to getting into your home.

Step 2 – Maintain problem areas

• Pick the proper tool to do the job. Then, cut the limbs back from the home until they are at least three inches away from anything they can damage.
• Cut all dead branches that can fall off during a windstorm and cause damage to something else. Do not attempt to trim trees close to cable or power lines. Instead, call the power company or professional tree trimmers. 
• Put the trimmings in an out-of-the-way pile to be disposed of later. If applicable, cut up the wood in the fall and use it as firewood. This saves the cost of hauling it away.
• Be sure to take another good walk around the outside of your home to make sure everything is trimmed to your liking.
  • Tool List: Pruning shears, power trimmer, saw – tree, clippers- hedge,
  • Supply List & Costs: trash bag – heavy duty

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