Skip to main content
Log in to your online account Account Login
Pay Your Bill Without Logging In Quick Pay
View real time outages in our service area Outage Map
Home

Contact: 973-875-5101

Outage Hotline: 877-504-6463

"Twitter"

Menu

Latest

  • New to the Co-op? Start here!

  • Love ETS? Refer a friend, and you'll BOTH receive a bill credit!

  • Make sure to provide us with up-to-date contact info so we can always reach you with important service information!

 1 / 3 
  • Your Cooperative
    • Guide to Co-op Membership
    • About the Cooperative
      • About Us
      • Cooperative History
      • Board of Directors
      • Bylaws
      • Touchstone Energy Cooperatives
      • 85th Anniversary Timeline
    • News
      • Currents Newsletter
      • Cooperative News
    • Annual Meeting
    • Video Library
    • Employment Opportunities
    • FAQs
  • Your Bill
    • Pay Your Bill
      • SREC Bill Pay Site
      • Quick Pay
    • About Your Bill
    • Billing Help
    • Capital Credits
    • Unclaimed Capital Credits
    • Ways to Save
      • Ways to Save Energy
      • #MondayMoneySavers
  • Your Service
    • Service Territory
    • Membership Application
    • Update Your Contact Info
    • End Service
    • Outages
    • Outage Map
    • Construction & Electrical
      • Construction
      • Meters
      • Electrician Disconnect/Reconnect
    • Scams
  • Your Home
    • Vegetation Management
      • Tree Management
      • Invasive Pests
      • Report a Tree to SREC
    • Exterior Lights
    • Solar & Renewables
      • About Solar Power
      • SREC Interconnection Process
      • Residential Interconnection Application
      • Commercial Interconnection Application
      • Guide for Solar Companies
    • Electric Vehicles
    • Home Energy Adventure
    • Electrical Safety
      • Home Safety Tips
      • Generator Safety
      • Power Line Safety
      • Safety Quiz
      • safeelectricity.org
  • Our Programs
    • Appliance Rebates
    • Medical Alert Program
    • Beat the Peak
    • ETS Heat
    • Surge Protection
    • SREC Resources
    • Cummins Home Generators
    • GenerLink
  • Our Community
    • Holiday Card Art Contest
    • Community Involvement
    • Donation Drives
    • Co-ops Vote
    • Building the Next Generation of Leaders
      • Schools
      • Youth Tour
      • Scholarships & Awards
    • SREC Kids - Pluggy's Power Patrol
  • Contact Us
    • Contact Us
    • Sign Up for Email Alerts
    • Member Satisfaction Survey
    • Member Advisory Committee

Tips for Tree Planting

Saturday | October 1, 2022
All News

 To view the full print/pdf version of this issue of Currents, click here

For previous issues of Currents, visit our Currents Library

Tips for Tree Planting

  From: SafeElectricity.org

If you are considering planting a tree, carefully select its location before you begin digging. If trees are planted in the wrong location, they can be expensive to maintain and even dangerous. Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative wants to offer tips to members on how to pick an optimal location.

A mature height of fewer than 15 feet is recommended if planting near lines. Some trees that are generally not tall enough to interfere with lines include crabapple, honeysuckle, juniper, flowering dogwood, and hawthorn. Trees should never be planted directly under power lines, near poles, or too close to electrical equipment.

811. Know What's Below. Call Before You Dig.Once you have a tree selected, call 8-1-1 before putting a shovel to the ground. The “Call Before You Dig” number is a free service that locates and marks public underground utilities in your yard or on your land. Call several business days before you plan to dig. Locators will mark public underground utilities such as electric, gas, water, cable, and fiber. The service does not mark privately owned lines or pipes.

Other tree tips:

• If your established trees are growing into power lines, contact us to ask about them. In some cases (depending on the tree’s location), we will come out and trim the tree. If it is your responsibility, do not take on the task yourself. Only tree trimmers who are line-clearance certified are legally allowed to prune and trim trees within 10 feet of power lines. We can offer disconnect-reconnect service to make sure that this work can be done safely.

• It is important to have trees trimmed. Limbs can fall on power lines during bad weather, resulting in power outages or blinking lights. Broken or drooping limbs could also cause fires.

• Tall-growing trees with a mature height greater than 45 feet should be planted at least 45 feet away from lines to avoid future pruning. Some of these trees include oak, white and blue spruce, most pines, and most maples.

• Be sure no one climbs a tree near power lines. If branches are touching the wires, the tree could be energized. Even branches that do not touch power lines could become energized if a child’s weight is added. In addition, a child could climb high into the tree and be able to reach the line.

For more information about electrical safety, visit www.SafeElectricity.org.

Plant Trees Safely. Before you dig, call 811 to locate buried utility lines. Low Tree Zone: Avoid planting within 20 ft. of power lines. If planting is unavoidable, only plant shrubs and small trees that reach a mature height of 15 ft. or less. Medium Tree Zone: Plant medium trees (under 40 ft. when mature) at least 25 ft. away from power lines. Large Tree Zone: Plant large trees (over 40 ft. when mature) at least 50 ft. away from power lines. Keep shrubs at least 10 ft. away from transformer doors and 4 ft. away from the sides.

 


CURRENTS is published monthly by Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative | 64 County Route 639, Sussex, NJ 07461 | p: 973.875.5101  F: 973.875.4114 | website: www.sussexrec.com | email: currents@sussexrec.com | Our Board of Directors: Chairman - Jack Haggerty, Jr., Vice Chairman - William Kovach, Sec./Treasurer - Ronald Dupont, Barbara Miller, Thomas Madsen, Joseph Barca, Brad Sparta, Michael Abate, President & CEO - Christopher P. ReeseSREC touchstone straight line transparent_1.png

 

 

We want your feedback! Let us know how we're doing: Take our Member Satisfaction Survey. www.sussexrec.com/surveysDISCONNECT/RECONNECT: SREC offers members FREE Disconnect/Reconnect service from 8am - 2:30 pm, Monday - Friday. When you electrician needs to work behind the SREC-owned meter on your home, call us at 973-875-5101 to schedule service.It's easier than ever to pay your bill! Go to www.srecbillpay.com. Pay Online, Pay by Phone, Pay by Text, Schedule a Payment, AutoPay (it's FREE when you use e-check), Paperless. We accept eCheck, Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, and more!

 

​

Back to Top

Quick Links

  • Our Cooperative
  • About Us
  • Currents Newsletter
  • Cooperative News
  • Board of Directors
  • Bylaws
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Your Bill
  • SREC Bill Pay
  • Quick Pay
  • About Your Bill
  • Capital Credits
  • Unclaimed Capital Credits

Footer 2

  • Your Service
  • Membership Application
  • End Service
  • Construction
  • Outages
  • Outage Map
  • Your Home
  • Tree Management
  • Electrical Safety
  • Our Programs
  • Appliance Rebates
  • ETS Heat
  • Cummins Generators
  • Surge Protection

Footer 3

  • Our Community
  • Community Involvement
  • Schools
  • Youth Tour
  • Scholarships & Awards
  • Keep Connected
  • Contact Us
  • Member Satisfaction Survey
  • Sign Up for Email Alerts
  • Employment Opportunities
  • Other
  • Legal Info
  • Privacy Policy
  • Full Site Directory
 Safe Electricity Member
Proud 5-Star Electric Co-op. CO-OPS VOTE.VETS POWER US

 

©2025 SussexREC. New Jersey's Best & Only

  • Your Cooperative
    • Guide to Co-op Membership
    • About the Cooperative
      • About Us
      • Cooperative History
      • Board of Directors
      • Bylaws
      • Touchstone Energy Cooperatives
      • 85th Anniversary Timeline
    • News
      • Currents Newsletter
      • Cooperative News
    • Annual Meeting
    • Video Library
    • Employment Opportunities
    • FAQs
  • Your Bill
    • Pay Your Bill
      • SREC Bill Pay Site
      • Quick Pay
    • About Your Bill
    • Billing Help
    • Capital Credits
    • Unclaimed Capital Credits
    • Ways to Save
      • Ways to Save Energy
      • #MondayMoneySavers
  • Your Service
    • Service Territory
    • Membership Application
    • Update Your Contact Info
    • End Service
    • Outages
    • Outage Map
    • Construction & Electrical
      • Construction
      • Meters
      • Electrician Disconnect/Reconnect
    • Scams
  • Your Home
    • Vegetation Management
      • Tree Management
      • Invasive Pests
      • Report a Tree to SREC
    • Exterior Lights
    • Solar & Renewables
      • About Solar Power
      • SREC Interconnection Process
      • Residential Interconnection Application
      • Commercial Interconnection Application
      • Guide for Solar Companies
    • Electric Vehicles
    • Home Energy Adventure
    • Electrical Safety
      • Home Safety Tips
      • Generator Safety
      • Power Line Safety
      • Safety Quiz
      • safeelectricity.org
  • Our Programs
    • Appliance Rebates
    • Medical Alert Program
    • Beat the Peak
    • ETS Heat
    • Surge Protection
    • SREC Resources
    • Cummins Home Generators
    • GenerLink
  • Our Community
    • Holiday Card Art Contest
    • Community Involvement
    • Donation Drives
    • Co-ops Vote
    • Building the Next Generation of Leaders
      • Schools
      • Youth Tour
      • Scholarships & Awards
    • SREC Kids - Pluggy's Power Patrol
  • Contact Us
    • Contact Us
    • Sign Up for Email Alerts
    • Member Satisfaction Survey
    • Member Advisory Committee