The One Tree Job We Won't Take

August 28, 2026

There aren't many tree problems we can't handle. Over twenty years of this and we've seen most of it. But there's one situation where the right answer is to call somebody else first, and we'd rather tell you that up front than have you find out the hard way.

If a tree is touching a power line, or growing close enough that a limb could reach one, call your utility company. Not us. Not yet.

Here's why that matters more than it sounds like it does. Electricity doesn't need contact to hurt somebody. It can arc across a gap, and it will use a green limb as a path to the ground the same as it would use a ladder. A branch that looks clear of the line can still be part of the circuit. That's not a rule we made up to get out of work. It's why line clearance is its own trade, with its own training and its own equipment.

Nobody planned it that way. A little cedar went in the ground decades ago and the lines came later, or the tree grew faster than anybody was watching, and now it's a problem that took thirty years to make.

So What Do You Actually Do?

Call the utility first. They handle what's in and around the line, and usually at no cost to you, because keeping their equipment clear is their job.

Then call us right after. Once we know what the utility is going to take and when, we can put together a cohesive plan of action for the rest of the tree. Usually there's real work left on the parts they don't touch, and it goes better as one plan instead of two crews guessing about each other.

That's most of what proactive care is. Getting ahead of a problem while it's still a decision instead of an emergency.

If you've got a tree near a line and you're not sure how close is too close, send us a photo. We'll tell you honestly whether it's a call-the-utility situation or something we can just handle.