As David Faasua arrived at a customer’s home in Huntington Beach, he could see a 35-foot palm swaying in high winds near power lines. After taking a closer look, he noticed char marks on the fronds and knew this could be a dangerous situation.

“The high winds were moving the palm fronds toward the conductors. Some customers don’t realize how much of a hazard a palm can be on their property,” said Faasua, an SCE vegetation management senior specialist. “If it wasn’t removed right away, the palm fronds could have eventually sparked a fire.”

He added: “We are doing this to keep our communities safe and maintain power reliability especially with so many parents working from home and students participating in online learning.”

Palms are a fast-growing species that cause frequent power outages across SCE’s 50,000-square-mile service area. They also require up to four trims annually compared to other types of vegetation that only need pruning once a year to maintain a safe distance from power lines.

More broadly, palms near power lines are a public safety hazard, especially in high fire risk areas. Dead palm fronds can also be carried by high winds and travel long distances, possibly hitting power lines along the way and starting a fire.

“We are looking to remove these palms to avoid any fires or outages. Trimming this species only stimulates growth, so it’s best to remove this type of vegetation,” said Jon Pancoast, SCE vegetation management and forestry manager. “State regulations require that all types of vegetation should be at least four feet away from power lines in high fire risk areas at all times. We make sure it doesn’t grow back and touch a power line before we’re able to schedule another inspection.”

Beginning in April, SCE will start targeting the removal of about 11,000 palms over the next two years as part of its Wildfire Mitigation Plan 2021 update. Some of the communities where this will occur include Simi Valley, Santa Clarita, La Canada Flintridge, Malibu, Lake Elsinore and Santa Ana. This also includes 5,000 palms located in non-high fire risk areas if they are not at least 18 inches away from power lines.

“SCE’s vegetation management staff and the contractors it hires to perform the removal of palms near high-voltage equipment are qualified arborists trained to work around high-voltage power lines in accordance with OSHA safety requirements,” said Pancoast. “All home and property owners who plan to do their own tree trimming or removal are encouraged to call SCE before starting any work and should only use qualified vegetation workers to do work safely around power lines.”

Palms located directly under or above the power lines may cause power outages or fires due to falling palm fronds and are a priority for removal. Before any type of vegetation is removed, SCE vegetation management employees and contractors consider its condition and the hazards associated with that species, especially if a bucket truck cannot be used to perform trimming.

SCE will notify the property owner ahead of time to discuss the risk factors. A door hanger will also be posted 24 to 48 hours prior to any required work, except in cases of an imminent risk to public safety.

“We understand that people living in Southern California love their palms, but since fire season is year-round, they can be a danger to the public. We will inspect vegetation before it’s removed and meet with the property owner in person to discuss the process,” said Faasua.

To learn more, schedule an inspection or to determine if there is a safety hazard on your property, call SCE at 800-655-4555.