When David Fa’asua goes out in the field every day, the Southern California Edison senior specialist and certified arborist knows he has his work cut out for him.

Fa’asua and his team, who work in Orange County, oversee about 30 vegetation management contract crews that will spend the day trimming and removing some of the thousands of trees and miles of brush that pose a potential threat to power lines.

While tree trimming may not seem like a priority to some customers, it’s a major part of SCE’s effort to mitigate wildfires as well as ensure reliable power during a time when so many people are working and schooling their children at home.

A stray tree branch or palm frond touching, blowing or falling into a power line could spark a fire, cause a power outage or create a danger to the public.

“Our work is for public safety and to keep the lights on,” Fa’asua said.

In a joint letter to SCE, California’s Office of Emergency Services, Public Utilities Commission and Cal Fire emphasized the importance of tree trimming as essential work even during the COVID-19 crisis because of the looming dangers of wildfire.

"The essential sector safety activities we expect you to continue to ensure you make meaningful progress on your wildfire and Public Safety Power Shutoff mitigation goals include wildfire mitigation and wildfire reduction tasks,” said the letter.

That work, the letter continues, includes “system hardening and vegetation management and enhancements to grid operations.”

Vegetation management is a year-round effort at SCE, which inspects more than 1.2 million trees annually throughout its 50,000-square-mile service area. Crews trim or remove about 420,000 trees in high fire risk areas every year.

“Trees don’t just stop growing,” said Fa’asua. “A tree may be 4 or 6 feet away from a power line, but a fast-growing tree can grow 6 feet to 8 feet in six months.”

SCE’s vegetation management team is making accommodations to COVID-19 work restrictions so it can continue this critical work.

Customers are being contacted by door hanger, email or phone rather than in person. Crews work staggered shifts, wear masks, do frequent hand washing, and, when possible for the task, practice physical distancing.

Schedules are being evaluated so only the highest priority work in high fire risk areas is being done.

“Safety is our No. 1 priority and we know wildfire season is coming soon,” said Christine Fanous, SCE managing director of Compliance and Operational Support. “We are removing trees and clearing brush near our power lines as part of the critical work we are doing every day to help prevent wildfires from destroying our communities.”

For safety, customers are asked not to approach the crews. If you have questions about SCE’s vegetation management activities or if you have any concerns about trees near SCE power lines, contact SCE Customer Support at 800-655-4555 or email safetrees@sce.com.