SANTA ROSA — Pacific Gas and Electric Company has pruned or cut down more than 30,000 hazard trees in fire-impacted communities in Northern California to reduce wildfire and public safety risk. Approximately 10,600 of those trees are in Sonoma County. The company will haul away larger wood that it has cut down near its power lines in Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake Counties at no cost to property owners. If the wood qualifies, customers must request the wood removal service. The opt-in program ends February 28.
“We are committed to helping our customers recover from the devastating wildfires last fall. We’re offering this wood removal service to reduce wildfire risk created by hazard trees piling up, and to help ensure that customers can safely enjoy their property,” said Dave Canny, senior manager of PG&E’s North Bay and Sonoma Divisions.
PG&E has completed about 96 percent of the work to cut down hazard trees near its power lines in wildfire-impacted communities to help ensure public safety and protect its electric and gas infrastructure. Work to haul away the larger wood began several weeks ago in Napa and Sonoma counties, and will begin in Mendocino County later this month.
Wildfire Wood Management Program
Customers who would like to opt-in to the Wildfire Wood Management Program can call 1-800-743-5000. The program closes on February 28, 2018. In order to qualify, the wood to be removed must be:
- Easily accessible by equipment or machinery,
- Larger than four inches in diameter and six feet in length, and
- Within 50 feet of a permanent structure or have the ability to impede traffic or roll into roads, road drainage structures or watercourses.
Wood and debris that is less than four inches in diameter does not qualify for this program. As with its normal practice, PG&E will clean up debris it cuts either by chipping or lopping and spreading according to forestry industry best practices.
PG&E contractors will haul away and dispose of the wood. The wood being removed from fire-impacted areas is generally not commercially viable. PG&E’s contractors will determine any potential end-uses.