For Alpena Power Company, trees are just as troublesome as they are beautiful. A few of the problems we encounter with trees are:

    • Line loss which is caused by trees rubbing against our wires causing a current flow to ground.
    • Shorted or open secondary wire caused by trees actually rubbing through the insulation.
    • Broken primary and secondary wires caused by the added weight from snow on tree limbs during a snowstorm or broken trees and limbs during windstorms.

Problems with trees can cause inconvenient electric outages resulting in reduced electric reliability for our customers.

To help reduce tree-related outages, Alpena Power Company has an aggressive Vegetation Management Program with a goal of clearing approximately 20% of our overhead lines each year. This puts us on a trimming cycle, insuring that all overhead lines on our system are cleared of potentially troublesome trees over each 5 year period. This results in increased system reliability and reduced customer outages.

When trimming distribution lines our policy is to trim to 15′ on either side of the line. When trimming transmission lines we will trim to 25-50′ on either side of the line depending on the voltage carried by those transmission lines.

APC contracts tree trimming to professionals who carry Alpena Power Company identification. If you are not sure who is on your property trimming trees, please ask to see this identification.

If there is a tree on your property interfering with Alpena Power Company power lines, please call:

Locally – 989.358.4941
Toll Free – 866.358.4900

To view Alpena Power Company’s complete Vegetation Management Program, including frequently asked questions, click here.

Alpena Power Company is not responsible for wind-damaged trees and debris on your property. Please contact your insurance company.