Pacific Gas and Electric Company was recognized as a "Tree Line USA Utility" by the National Arbor Day Foundation at the 14th annual Trees and Utilities National Conference in Chicago, Illinois. The award acknowledges the company's environmental leadership in caring for the health of trees while providing safe and sound management of tree growth along electric power lines.

"Your effort in meeting Tree Line USA requirements -- training your workers in quality tree-care practices and helping your customers to plant appropriate trees near utility lines not only helps to provide beautiful trees for the future, but also results in long-term operational savings for you company," said John Rosenow, president of the National Arbor Day Foundation.

"Over the last several years PG&E has put in place a leading vegetation management program which supports our initiatives to improve the deliver of safe and reliable energy to our customers," said Steve Tankersley, operations manager of the company's vegetation management program.

The criteria for the award is based on excellence in three key practices that need to be followed to protect and enhance urban forests while still providing service to customers: Quality Tree-care, Annual Worker Training and Public Education.

The company conducts an extensive year-round line-clearing cycle, which safely trims trees and removes brush from more than 120,000 miles of electric lines and maintaining "vegetation-free zones" at the bases 125,000 transmission towers and distribution poles. Tree trimming and pole clearing is an integral part of maintaining compliance with State and Federal laws and keeping outages to a minimum and making storm restoration more efficient by managing the growth and maintenance of a healthier, more storm resistant tree stock near power lines.