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NES's new tree-trimming policy draws council scrutiny over notice and property impacts
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Summary
Nashville Electric Service described a post-storm policy that expands clearance to a roughly 15-foot —ground-to-sky' zone; council members and residents pressed NES about limited advance notice, potential tree removals and property risk, and called for clearer, data-driven communication.
Nashville Electric Service (NES) outlined an enhanced tree-trimming policy at the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee meeting on April 20, 2026, telling the committee the utility widened lateral and vertical clearances to reduce vegetation-related outages after Winter Storm Fern.
Daniel Johnson, NES—s vice president of engineering, said the policy increases lateral clearance to about 15 feet and removes any overhang above distribution lines, describing the approach as a —15-foot ground-to-sky' clearance intended to allow room for future growth. Johnson said ornamental and low-growth plants beneath the communication space generally will remain, but any vegetation inside the 15-foot zone will be trimmed or removed.
Committee members and residents raised concerns about the scope, speed and communication of the program. Council member Cash said some constituents call the effort —aggressive' and pressed NES on the policy—s notification language, which currently uses —may' in some places on the website. Johnson said NES has attempted to contact affected customers three ways for large trim plans (an automated IVR call, email or text if available, and a postcard), and that crews will return to more proactive door-knocking and outreach by July for planned work. He said crews trimmed roughly 100 miles in the immediate post-storm effort out of an approximate 4,600-mile system and cited reliability improvements reported by other utilities that adopted similar practices.
Council member Copen described seeing a tree cut so that it now leans toward a house and asked who would be responsible if the tree later failed. Johnson said trimmed trees remain the customer—s property and the utility—s claims department handles disputes; NES will send an arborist to reassess cases where residents report leaning trees and said it will often remove and offer a small replacement tree if removal is necessary. Johnson acknowledged that not every crew includes an on-staff arborist but said NES employs arborists and uses certified trimming crews and contract arborists to speed response.
The chair sharply criticized NES—s handling of the response, stating the utility —did not have a plan, did not execute on the plan, and did not communicate the plan.' The chair urged NES to ground trimming in —scientific data', improve advance notice, and avoid clearing that leaves trees leaning over houses.
No formal action was taken at the meeting on NES policy changes; council members requested follow-up data on post-trim reliability and improved customer-notification practices. NES said it is preparing to re-bid contracts in the coming months and to bring more local contractors onto the program.
Next steps: committee members asked NES for clearer reporting on where crews have worked and any early reliability impacts; several members said they expect improved outreach and quicker arborist responses when residents report post-trim safety issues.
