Company continues longstanding commitment to tree stewardship and electric reliability
Tampa Electric has once again earned Tree Line USA® recognition from the National Arbor Day Foundation. This marks the 18th consecutive year the company has been honored for its responsible approach to managing trees and plants around power lines.
Maintaining healthy trees while reducing the risk of power interruptions is a critical part of Tampa Electric’s operations. Trees that grow too close to power lines can pose safety concerns and are a leading cause of outages, making proactive trimming and customer education essential.
In celebration of Arbor Day today, Tampa Electric donated 10 trees to be planted on campus at the University of South Florida. The company also donated trees to two schools in Hillsborough County, supporting local efforts to expand and sustain urban tree canopies.
Tree Line USA is a national program sponsored by The National Arbor Day Foundation in partnership with the National Association of State Foresters. It recognizes utilities – both public and private – that demonstrate best practices in tree care, conduct ongoing employee training and engage in tree planting and public outreach initiatives.
“Earning Tree Line USA recognition year over year reflects our dedication to environmental responsibility and dependable electric service,” said Chip Whitworth, vice president of Electric Delivery for Tampa Electric. “We take pride in managing our system in a way that protects our community’s trees and our customers.”
Tampa Electric trims trees along thousands of miles of overhead power lines each year. These efforts play a key role in reducing outage risk and keeping customers safe. Customers who notice trees touching or at risk of touching power lines should contact Tampa Electric at 813-635-1500. For safety reasons, customers should never attempt to trim trees near electrical equipment.
Tampa Electric offers customers an online Tree Planting and Safety Guide, which offers guidance on selecting trees and locations to reduce the likelihood of interference with power lines. The guide is available at TampaElectric.com/Trees. Additional information about Arbor Day and the Tree Line USA program can be found at ArborDay.org.
Tampa Electric, one of Florida’s largest investor-owned electric utilities, serves about 870,000 customers in West Central Florida. Tampa Electric is a subsidiary of Emera Inc., a geographically diverse energy and services company headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.