In celebration of Arbor Day and Safety Monday, follow the tips provided in the Oncor Know Before You Grow program:

Sign up for Free Trees. In partnership with Arbor Day Foundation, Oncor gives away thousands of shade trees to customers on a first-come, first-served basis each year. The program promotes energy conservation by helping customers understand where to plant trees to minimize heating and cooling costs while also avoiding power lines. Sign up for notifications about the program and 2016 launch date here.

Plan for Success. Your landscape plan, drawn by you or a professional, is a map for planting. It’s important that you consider expected growth patterns of trees and shrubs when creating a landscape plan to avoid power lines.

Call 8-1-1 Before You Dig. Before you implement your landscape plan, call 8-1-1 to learn where underground lines and cables are located on your property. You also want to make sure there is enough space for the tree’s roots to grow.

Tree Pruning Safety. Property owners should never prune trees within 10 feet of a power line. Every year in Texas, people are injured and even killed when they climb or prune trees near power lines. Tree branches touching power lines conduct electricity, so be smart and get professional help.

Click here for more information about tree and power line safety from thewire.oncor.com.