Tree pruning crews branch out through East Falls

Tree pruning crews from Asplundh Tree Expert Co. were out in full force this week along Midvale Avenue in East Falls. They were working on an annual $1 million dollar project for PECO in preventative tree pruning along a 252-mile stretch of electric lines in Philadelphia County.

Liz Williamson, spokeswoman for PECO, said the goal is to reduce the frequency of tree-related outages and keep the lights on for all customers. 

“Vegetation causes about one third of all electric outages,” Williamson said. “So preventative pruning of trees, vines and other vegetation is extremely important for us.”

The project started up in early January and is expected to continue through April. In addition to East Falls, the project will include sections of Frankford, Hunting Park, Juniata, Kensington, Nicetown and others.

In 2012, PECO is investing about 28-million dollars in vegetation management programs throughout 2,800 miles of power lines in the region.