resources

Vegetation Management

Educating

The co-op makes efforts to educate members on the appropriate spacing required for different types of trees and plants members may plant. Members can help minimize outages by making sure to plant the right tree in the right place.

Pruning

The Cooperative (or its contractors) may manage vegetation by physically pruning or removing undesirable plants located within or adjacent to CEC rights-of-way.

Treating

The Cooperative (or its contractors) may apply environmentally-approved selective herbicides to control undesirable plants, preventing them from growing back.

A graphic explaining the size of utility poles.
A graphic explaining the size of utility poles.

Distribution Line Clearances

 The normal minimum clearance for 3 phase, 2 phase, single phase primary lines, and open wire secondaries is 10 feet from the conductor on each side. The preferred clearance of Cimarron Electric’s vegetation management is 12 feet to 15 feet from the conductors on each side. The preferred clearance on primary lines helps reduce tree related outages during inclement weather and storms. Minimum clearance on primary power lines will be from ground line to the sky. The preferred minimum clearance on all service drops and triplex cables is five feet around the wire. Effort will be made to eliminate all trees, tree parts, and growth points beneath the wires and all weak, diseased, and dead limbs above the wires which may fall or blow into the wires.

In cases where members request different than recommended clearances, CEC personnel will work with members to balance their request with safety