Wildfire plans and tree clearing in Hawaii: the Public Utilities Commission and Hawaiian Electric's plan
What the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission says about the wildfire mitigation plans it ordered after the 2023 Maui fires, and the vegetation clearances, cycles and inspection levels in Hawaiian Electric's 2026-2027 plan.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 10, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It restates three documents as read on October 10, 2026: the Wildfire Mitigation Plans page of the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission, the Commission's December 31, 2025 news release and question-and-answer sheet, and the 2026-2027 Wildfire Mitigation Plan Update that Hawaiian Electric publishes. The side by side with other regions is on the guide to utility wildfire plans and tree clearing.
What the Commission says
The Commission's page says it directed Hawaiian Electric and Kauai Island Utility Cooperative to file a Wildfire Safety Strategy, also called a Wildfire Mitigation Plan, after the 2023 Maui wildfires. Hawaiian Electric's plan sits in Docket No. 2025-0156 and the cooperative's in Docket No. 2025-0255. The Commission's guidelines for Hawaiian Electric's plan were issued in Order No. 41033 on September 13, 2024.
On December 31, 2025, in Decision and Order No. 42228, the Commission approved Hawaiian Electric's 2025-2027 plan. Its news release says the Commission found that the company substantially complied with its wildfire mitigation guidelines and that the plan can be reasonably expected to reduce wildfire risk. The question-and-answer sheet says the plan met 12 of the Commission's guidelines, partially met eight and failed to meet none. The release lists vegetation management among the measures, next to grid hardening, asset inspections, situational awareness tools and public safety power shutoff protocols.
The sheet says approval under Act 258 (Session Laws of Hawaii 2025) makes the company eligible to request cost recovery for wildfire mitigation, but does not guarantee it. On May 21, 2026, in Order No. 42567, the Commission approved the cooperative's 2025-2027 plan and set instructions for its 2027-2028 plan. The page also records Hawaiian Electric's 2026-2027 update, filed April 13, 2026.
Vegetation work in Hawaiian Electric's plan
The plan says its vegetation program covers tree pruning, tree removal, brush control and ground clearing around higher-risk infrastructure. It says the program is designed on the ISA best management practices and on OSHA 1910.269, ANSI Z133, ANSI A300 Parts 1, 7 and 9 and the ISA utility tree risk assessment practices. It names invasive plants of concern, among them albizia, molasses grass, fountain grass and guinea grass.
| Item | What the plan states | Where it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Inspection cycle | A 12 to 18 month target for vegetation inspections, set from risk model outputs and the company arborists' local knowledge | All high wildfire risk areas and prioritized circuits in medium risk areas |
| Distribution lines | At least 10 feet of clearance achieved at the time of work on open wire conductors under 12.5 kV, with a 4 foot clearance zone from energized equipment kept at all times | High and medium risk areas |
| Transmission lines | Up to 25 feet from conductors above 23 kV, depending on land ownership rights, law and easement rights | High and medium risk areas |
| Pole and substation clearance | A 10 foot vegetation-free radius and an 8 foot vertical clear zone around qualifying poles; 10 feet from the fence line of a substation. Done on a limited and emergent basis | Identified high and medium risk locations |
| Mid-cycle inspection | A new program of field assessments for hazard trees and trees that reach into radial clearance between maintenance cycles | Specified high risk areas and prioritized medium risk circuits |
| Quality control | The company proposes quality control reviews of 25% of each reported program, measured in circuit miles | Inspections, radial clearance and mid-cycle work |
The plan says hazard trees that pose an unacceptable risk to facilities are mitigated. It states a preference for inspectors who hold the ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualification, and says quality control of inspection and tree work is done by employees or contractors who are ISA Certified Arborists.
The plan says the company contracts vegetation vendors to prune and remove trees and control brush to company specifications, and to record work details in its software. It also says chips are usually removed when the work is finished, that owners may ask for the chips to stay on site, and that herbicides are used where applicable on cut stumps and that tree growth regulators are used only in limited cases such as historic street trees. For work done in 2024, its summary table lists the removal of 367 hazard trees and trimming on 20 medium risk area circuits.
Sources
- Hawaii Public Utilities Commission, Wildfire Mitigation Plans page, read October 10, 2026
- Hawaii Public Utilities Commission, news release approving Hawaiian Electric's Wildfire Mitigation Plan, December 31, 2025, read October 10, 2026
- Hawaii Public Utilities Commission, Wildfire Mitigation Plan Approval and Recovery Fund Study questions and answers, read October 10, 2026
- Hawaiian Electric, 2026-2027 Wildfire Mitigation Plan Update, section 4.2, read October 10, 2026