For the 26th year in a row, the Arbor Day Foundation has named Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) a Tree Line USA Utility. The honor recognizes PSO for its national leadership in caring for trees while meeting service objectives.
PSO’s status as a Tree Line USA Utility was formally recognized March 7 during a state Arbor Day celebration at Oklahoma City University.
“We are honored to once again be recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation for the enormous and dedicated effort we put into making sure both our company and customers are well-served by the work we do with trees,” said Steve Mathews, PSO Forestry supervisor. “At PSO, we’re committed to maintaining the safety and reliability of our electric grid and doing it in a way that also helps preserve the health and beauty of both our urban and rural landscapes.”
Sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in association with the National Association of State Foresters, the Tree Line USA program recognizes utilities that meet five core standards: a program of quality tree care, annual worker training in quality tree care practices, a tree planting and public education program, a tree-based energy conservation program and sponsorship or participation in Arbor Day events.
Tree Line USA utilities include both investor-owned and public providers.
This year, National Arbor Day will be celebrated April 26. However, Oklahoma celebrates Arbor Day during the last week of March because that is the best time for tree planting in the state.
PSO, a unit of American Electric Power ), is an electric utility company serving more than 555,000 customer accounts in eastern and southwestern Oklahoma.