Southwest Fire Defense has been trimming trees under contract with DPU for over a year. Courtesy/DPU

Southwest Fire Defense trimmed trees in the ski hill vicinity last summer. Courtesy/DPU

COUNTY News:

To mitigate hazards and power outages, a new round of tree trimming coordinated by the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) is scheduled to begin on the Pajarito Ski Hill Tuesday and continue through Friday. DPU’s contractor, Southwest Fire Defense & Tree Services, will be conducting the work.

While DPU’s list of hazard branches covers the whole county, the current priorities are for branches on the ski hill that may be within reach of electric distribution lines. Specifically, Southwest Fire Defense will be addressing trees near Camp May Road west of the iron gate. Trees in other areas of the county will be addressed in the future.

Department staff are responsible for identifying branches that need attention. Trees are trimmed only if they are in the right-of-way or on utility easements for power lines.

The tree trimming effort reduces the number and scope of power outages by removing branches and trees that are either too close to power lines or pose a risk of falling on power lines. This initiative, coupled with an aggressive operation and maintenance program, supports DPU’s Electric Reliability Plan. As a public power utility, improving electric reliability is a top priority for DPU in serving the community.

It is important to note that not all overhead lines in Los Alamos County are electric power lines. The tree trimming focuses only on branches growing into power lines, not other types of cables that may be strung between poles.

DPU is community owned and governed by the Board of Public Utilities, whose members are residents and DPU customers.