The Nebraska Public Power District says crews will soon begin patrolling its 4,300 miles of transmission lines in the state to trim any trees that threaten the lines.

NPPD officials have been conducting the patrols annually for several years to reduce the chances that vegetation will cause a power outage in Nebraska.

NPPD’s John Humphrey says the trimming program helps reduce outages related to trees.

When trees do have to be trimmed, NPPD follows guidelines from the Arbor Day Foundation. But the utility encourages landowners to follow its guidelines when planting near power lines to avoid problems.