Enhanced vegetation management work to reduce wildfire risks

• We are working safely and as quickly as possible to complete this important safety work, prioritizing those communities that are at the most extreme risk of wildfire. These areas are defined as at elevated (Tier 2) and extreme (Tier 3) risk of wildfire, based on the CPUC’s HFTD map.
• We will then expand our work to other high fire-threat areas across our service territory.
• This work will cover roughly 25,000 miles of distribution line from Bakersfield to the Oregon border.
• To ensure we are addressing the highest wildfire risk areas, we have implemented the most advanced wildfire risk model available to maximize the safety of our customers and communities.
• Customers will be notified of any enhanced vegetation management work that may need to be performed or around their property.

• The goal of this important wildfire safety effort is to further reduce the risk of trees, limbs and branches coming into contact with powerlines or electric equipment.
• Trees that could grow to within 4 feet of the lines, have the potential to strike the lines or equipment, or are overhanging the powerlines will be assessed for pruning or cutting down.
• We are also evaluating the condition of trees that may need to be addressed if they are tall enough to strike the lines or electric equipment.
• You may see PG&E crews and contractors on or near your property to review trees to identify these safety risks.
• If any safety work is planned for your property, you will be notified with phone calls, postcards and door hangers. We may also reach out to coordinate access for inspections or the vegetation work.
• After work is finished, crews will conduct follow-up quality inspections to ensure work meets required safety standards.
• You may see crews on or near your property multiple times a year as this work may be conducted alongside our other annual work.

• Our compliance work involves meeting important state vegetation and fire safety standards, which require clearances of 4 feet around powerlines in high fire-threat areas, with recommended minimum clearances of 12 feet or more at time of prune to ensure compliance year-round.
• Our enhanced vegetation management work involves exceeding state vegetation and fire safety standards in high fire-threat areas across our service territory.
• As part of our vegetation safety work, we:
  • Prune limbs and branches that overhang the 4 foot clearance zone around the lines
  • Cut down hazardous vegetation such as dead, diseased, defective or dying trees that pose a potential risk to the lines or equipment on a yearly basis
  • Evaluate the condition of trees that may need to be addressed if they are tall enough to strike the lines or equipment

• As a service to our customers, we chip wood that is less than 4 inches in diameter and can spread the chips onsite after tree work is complete. In remote areas, tree crews lop and scatter wood debris in accordance with best practices to avoid excessive vegetation build-up.
• Larger wood debris that is greater than 4 inches in diameter is left onsite as it legally belongs to the landowner since trees are considered assets and property. However, wood from this enhanced vegetation safety work may be eligible for removal at no direct cost to our customers, provided it is safely accessible and requested by the property owner.
• For all other vegetation work, larger wood that is greater than 4 inches in diameter will generally be left onsite, as it is not eligible for removal.
• Customers who would like us to remove the wood debris from this work will receive a Request for Wood Management form at the time of inspection.
• Completed forms will need to be returned to the safety inspector or emailed to wildfiresafety@pge.com prior to the tree work beginning.
• Once we receive a signed request form and the tree work is complete, we plan to begin wood debris removal within a few weeks, depending on weather, access or other schedule constraints.

We urge customers to take steps to prepare for wildfires by creating defensible space around their homes. CAL FIRE recommends:

• Creating 100 feet of defensible space by removing all flammable vegetation and any dead or dying plants within 30 feet of your home and having a fuel reduction zone in the remaining 70 feet
• Removing surface litter, such as leaves, pine needles, twigs, bark, cones and pods
• Removing lower tree branches at least six feet from the ground
• Landscaping with fire resistant plants
• Cutting grass down to a maximum height of 4 inches, mowing before 10 a.m. and never on hot or windy days. Consider trimming grass with a string trimmer.

For more information, go to readyforwildfire.org.

For more information about this safety work, customers can email us at wildfiresafety@pge.com or call 1-877-295-4949. Our dedicated customer outreach specialists will respond within one business day.