Unitil will prune over 80 miles of trees in its Massachusetts service territory this year as part of its vegetation management program, which plays a significant role in helping to reduce tree-related outages and maintain electric system reliability.
Vegetation management is the planned maintenance of trees and other vegetation growing near power lines. By pruning branches before they come into contact with electric equipment and removing trees that pose a risk, Unitil helps reduce outages and improve reliability.
Unitil’s continued investment in vegetation management is delivering measurable results. Over the past decade, the critical portions of the company’s electric system have achieved a 57% decrease in non-storm tree-related system average interruption frequency, meaning on typical days customers are seeing fewer power outages from trees.
“Trees are one of the leading causes of power outages, so proactive vegetation management is one of the most effective investments we can make to improve reliability for our customers,” said Amanda Vicinanzo, Unitil’s external affairs manager. “By maintaining safe clearances around power lines before problems occur, we’re helping reduce outages while working closely with communities and property owners to preserve the character of our neighborhoods whenever possible.”
Last year, Unitil pruned 35.4 miles of trees in Fitchburg and 43.4 miles in Townsend. In 2026, the company plans to prune 13.9 miles in Fitchburg, 9.7 miles in Townsend, and 59 miles in Ashby. The program rotates among the four communities served, including Lunenburg.
In addition to its annual tree-pruning program, Unitil has operated its Storm Resiliency Program for the past 12 years. This enhanced program improves electric reliability by removing trees and branches outside of the typical trimming zone which can threaten power lines during storms. In 2025, the SRP completed 14.7 miles of ground-to-sky clearance and hazardous tree removal in Fitchburg, with 8.5 miles planned for Lunenburg this year.
“We recognized that an even more proactive tree maintenance program, like the Storm Resiliency Program, could reduce both the number and duration of outages,” Vicinanzo said. “It was the first of its kind in the Commonwealth at the time.”
Information on Unitil’s Storm Resiliency Program as well as a list of low-growing trees that can be safely planted under wires can be found at unitil.com/energy-projects/storm-resiliency-program.
