I have a large mature Horse Chestnut in my garden?

It is very tall and is touching electric wires. Also the branches have become gnarled and twisted together. I love this tree and dont want it to die. Thought pruning might help. When should I do this and how should I go about it?

I have a large mature Horse Chestnut in my garden?
Get a hold of the electricity company and get them to deal with it. The company will have a contract with a tree surgery outfit that is quallified to deal with this problem. I f the tree is growing within the wires then they will issue a shutdown for that line meaning they will switch off the power before the work is carried out. Most arborist companies cannot do this work despite what they may claim, there workers must posses an electrical awareness ticket and have gained authorisation from the electricity company, If the trees boys dont have their green book with them, then their not authorised ( this is the rules in the uk).You shouldnt be charged for the work as its the lecky board,s problem. Do not try to do the pruning yourself, seriosly dont mess, especialy if the branches are within the live zone of the line. In the uk a L.V line ( low voltage) is only 240 volts. The lines will be one above the other. The triple lines start at 11kv. 11,000 volts! this will ruin your day. The live zone on this line is 0.8 m. i.e the imediate area around each line at 0.8 metres is potentialy live and electricity can arc to the nearest earth.

One thing you should be aware of is that living trees in contact with power lines or within the live zone are pottentialy live themselves. The arborists will probably prune the tree to a five year clear level. Basically it should keep the tree clear for five years. when you speak to the boys or girls doing the work and yes there are female climbers out there ask them to try and keep the overall shape of the tree. Normally they will but you can get some awkward buggers that have had a bad day and want to go home but they are uder a huge contract so any complaints are seriosly dealt with.
Reply:call the city, they might come and trim it because it is rubbing on the wires..
Reply:tree surgens. they know wot they doing.
Reply:We too have one. If u r in uk please check with council if there is a preservation order on before doing any work
Reply:This needs expert treatment and you should call in tree surgeons. Don't just go for the first one you call, get several in to have a look at it and ask their opinions the make a judgement on who seemed to know best what they were talking about, what qualifications in aboriculture they have, how long they have been in the business and if you can talk to previous customers. Lastly price should be taken into consideration.
Reply:I love horse chestnuts.. you can prune it on top and fall is a nice time to do it..
Reply:The electric utility are responsible for clearing the tree from around the cable. They should be inspecting it every few years.



They regulalrly come onto our land to prune the trees away from the wires. Its no charge to us.
Reply:I would call a tree surgeon. Sometimes pruning kills old trees. The electric company might just hack away at it. I do remember chestnut trees growing up in NJ! When we were kids we used to collect them, trying to see who could find the most beautiful one and we used to shine them up! I still remember that beautiful red/brown color. But I digress, thanks for the trip down Memory Lane.