August 4, 2003
ROSEMEAD, Calif., Aug. 4, 2003—Information about Southern California Edison’s (SCE) bark beetle tree removal effort currently underway in local mountainous communities is now only a click away on the company’s Web site.
Visitors can click on the “Safety First” button to the left of the homepage at www.sce.com or go directly to www.sce.com/barkbeetle to get information on the tree removal program, planned power outages, frequently asked questions on trimming and removing trees, as well as safety advice.
As soon as it is available, SCE also will post its tree removal schedule on its site for the benefit of affected residents and local property owners. The schedule is being compiled in conjunction with the Mountain Area Safety Taskforce, a coalition of federal, state, and local public safety and forestry agencies working to combat the ravaging effects of the bark beetle and hundreds of thousands of dead trees in the affected areas.
SCE is removing at no cost to local property owners dead or dying trees that threaten its power lines, as determined by utility inspectors. SCE strongly urges property owners choosing to have trees trimmed and removed themselves to use only experienced licensed or certified arborists qualified to perform work near power lines.
Customers using a private tree trimmer or arborist to cut or remove trees also can arrange to have SCE temporarily drop the service wires to a building at no charge by calling 1-800-655-4555. However, a minimum notice of five business days is required.
For more information, customers can visit the Web site or call SCE at 1-800-655-4555.
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An Edison International company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population of more than 12 million via 4.5 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within central, coastal and Southern California.
