Detroit Edison line-clearance crews will be working in more than 30 Southeastern Michigan communities in March and April, continuing the year-round effort to keep trees and branches away from power lines. The utility trims trees to reduce the potential for power outages and to help ensure electric service reliability and safety for customers.

"Tree interference is responsible for about two-thirds of the power outages that occur during storms," said Steve Kurmas, DTE Energy executive vice president, Distribution Operations. "By maintaining a 10-foot clearance between tree branches and power lines, we can reduce the possibility of tree- related power outages."

Detroit Edison tree-trimming crews follow International Society of Arboriculture standards, which are designed to maintain the health of trees. The utility has received the National Tree Line USA Award for quality tree care for 10 consecutive years.

Detroit Edison removes from customer property small branches and debris that result from its line-clearance program. Larger trimmed branches are cut into firewood length and left behind for customer use or disposal.

During a storm restoration process, unscheduled emergency tree trimming sometimes is required to facilitate the safe restoration of electrical service. If electric service has been interrupted because trees have been uprooted or large limbs have fallen on power lines, customers have the responsibility to remove tree debris resulting from such emergency restoration activity.