Tree trimming near power lines is underway in some parts of the metro Birmingham area, and Alabama Power is ramping up its effort to make sure customers understand what this involves and why the company takes these measures.

Tree limbs touching power lines have the potential to disrupt electric service to a customer’s home, especially during times of stormy weather which packs heavy winds. To lessen the chances of this scenario happening, crews cut down trees in the affected areas which surround power poles. “We want our customers to understand this is a safety issue and a reliability issue, with safety being the main thing,” said Doug Standridge, a team leader with  Alabama Power’s line clearing crews.

Standridge, while overseeing rear-lot tree trimming work in Vestavia Hills this fall, also says that the company is taking extra steps to make sure the customer is clear about the steps involved in this entire process. “We start by mailing postcards, then running public service announcements. Our last attempt at notifying the customer of upcoming work involves us knocking on the door to try to have a face-to-face.”  Standridge says meeting with the customer and coming to a consensus of what needs to be done is the ideal scenario. After the tree trimming work is completed, customers are given additional follow up contact information should they have questions.

For more information on Alabama Power’s tree trimming services, contact Customer Service at (800)245-2244.