COUNTY NEWS RELEASE

To mitigate hazards and power outages, a new round of tree trimming coordinated by the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) is scheduled to begin on the Pajarito Ski Hill on Tuesday and continue through Friday. DPU’s contractor, Southwest Fire Defense & Tree Services, will be conducting the work.

While DPU’s list of hazard branches covers the whole county, the current priorities are for
branches on the ski hill that may be within reach of electric distribution lines. Specifically,
Southwest Fire Defense will be addressing trees near Camp May Road west of the iron gate.
Trees in other areas of the county will be addressed in the future.

Department staff are responsible for identifying branches that need attention. Trees are trimmed
only if they are in the right-of-way or on utility easements for power lines.

The tree trimming effort reduces the number and scope of power outages by removing branches
and trees that are either too close to power lines or pose a risk of falling on power lines. This
initiative, coupled with an aggressive operation and maintenance program, supports DPU’s
Electric Reliability Plan. As a public power utility, improving electric reliability is a top priority
for DPU in serving the community.

It is important to note that not all overhead lines in Los Alamos County are electric power lines.
The tree trimming focuses only on branches growing into power lines, not other types of cables
that may be strung between poles.

DPU is community owned. It is governed by the Board of Public Utilities, whose members are
residents and DPU customers.

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