Madison Gas and Electric Company (MGE) Is Applying for Annual City of Madison Pruning Permit

Madison Gas and Electric Company (MGE) will be performing line clearance tree pruning in District 19 this year. In order to prune City of Madison-owned trees within the public right-of-way of any street, alley, highway or greenway MGE is required to apply for a permit; MGE Forestry works with the City Forester and the City of Madison Streets Division on a yearly plan to prevent over-pruning of City-owned trees. MGE’s 2024 plan for pruning trees on the public rights-of-ways will be considered by the Habitat Stewardship Subcommittee on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, at 4:30 P.M., via virtual meeting.

If you wish to speak at the virtual meeting, you must register. You can register at www.cityofmadison.com/city-hall/committees/meeting-schedule. Registration will open when the meeting is published on the Calendar, typically around noon on the Friday preceding the meeting, in this instance Friday, February 9, 2024. Interested participants can search for the date, click on the Habitat Stewardship Subcommittee meeting, then click “Register for Public Comment.”

If you require an interpreter, materials in alternate formats, or other accommodations to access this public hearing, please contact City of Madison Parks Department at (608) 266-4711 or email us at habitatstewardshipsubcommittee@cityofmadison.com.

Please make contact at least 72 hours prior to the date of this public hearing so that we can make proper accommodations.

Your safety and our electric system reliability are both important to us. Line clearance pruning is done to minimize tree-related storm damage and tree-caused electric system outages and conflicts. As a National Arbor Day “Tree Line USA Utility,” we are concerned about the health and appearance of trees in your neighborhood. Our contract crews prune according to industry Best Management Practices as outlined by the International Society of Arboriculture. The crews also undergo yearly work- and safety-related training.

If your trees require pruning, you will receive further notification before line clearance work begins.

Below is a map indicating areas we expect to be pruning this year. Additional information can be found on our website at https://www.mge.com/environment/trees-landscape/tree-pruning.htm.

A quick map key:

• Salmon-colored polygons are areas in your district where we will be pruning
• Thick black and grey lines = highest voltage (feeds entire neighborhood)
• Blue, Red, Green line = high voltage (feeds blocks of houses)