Storm triage
What is this tree doing to the conductor, the pole or whatever it lands on — and how urgent is it?
Tip: run a photo assessment first — with a measured scale anchor — and this screen opens pre-filled.
What are you asking?
How much force is this tree putting on the conductor?
Root plate intact, stem hinged at groundline, crown bearing on the conductor.
Tree
Puts your region's species at the top of the list. Every US species stays searchable below.
Density from USFS Wood Handbook (FPL-GTR-190).
Top of crown down to the lowest live limbs
0.45 typical; 0.35 heavy taper, 0.55 cylindrical spar
Contact geometry
Measured from the base, along the leaning stem
0-1. Share of the reaction actually taken by the target
0° = pushing straight across the line (pure side pull), 90° = pushing along the line
How many separate places the tree bears on the conductors / structure
HIGH LOAD — TREE IS APPLYING SIDE LOAD TO THE CONDUCTOR
Recommended action
- Treat the conductor as energized — assume contact is live.
- Do not cut, rope or move this tree without utility coordination.
- Establish an exclusion zone of at least 105 ft (32 m) around the base.
- Contact the utility / system operator before any work begins.
Circuit & access
Single-phase tap or neighbourhood lateral.
Best estimate from the outage map or the circuit sheet
Bucket can set up on the shoulder.
Leave this if you could not get eyes on the access. It shows as unassigned on the commander roll-up.
Dispatch call
Line crew + line-clearance crew
Energised conductor is loaded or entangled — a qualified line crew must clear or de-energise before tree work starts.
- Crane or knuckleboomGreen weight ≈ 10,828 lbf — beyond safe tree-rigged removal.
- Line crew standby (clear / ground the conductor)Tree is loading energised conductors — treat every part as energised.
How this call was scored
- Hazard band high (+40)
- Local distribution lateral (+11)
- 0 customers affected (+0)
What if I cut here?
CUT AT 34 FT DROPS THE CONTACT LOAD BY 94%
- Piece removed
- 7,677 lb
- Piece weight
- 7,677 lbf
- Load now
- 4,400 lbf
- Load after the cut
- 248 lbf
- Change
- −4,152 lbf (94%)
- Diameter at cut
- 14.3 in
Highest cut that gets the target under 400 lbf: about 42.3 ft up the stem.
- Everything above the cut (7,677 lbf) comes off the load path. What is left applies about 248 lbf.
- Hinged at the groundline: the residual 34 ft stem stays leaning at 15° after the cut.
- Stem is roughly 14.3 in through at the cut, with the piece CG about 23 ft out from it.
Hypothetical only. It models tree mass and geometry — not hinge strength, conductor tension or hardware. Never cut on or near an energized conductor without utility coordination.
Estimated load at contact
4,400 lbf
- Side pull of 4,250 lbf square across the conductor — this is the component that racks crossarms, insulators and pole tops, and it is not resisted by span tension.
- Estimate only: derived from photo geometry and published green densities. It models the tree, not the conductor — no span tension, sag or hardware rating is included.
- High load on the conductor. Do not approach the contact point or the tree base without utility clearance.