Westchester is filled with wooded, tree-lined neighborhoods. It's part of the charm of living in the area. But rough weather can bring big problems.

That's why for years, Con Edison has had a hazardous tree trimming and removal program. 

But recently, they expanded it. "We identify trees that are on private property that we determine really could become a problem to our service wires if they were to fall. And with customer consent, safely remove them and thereby reduce our outages," says Lori Miller, section manager of Con Ed contract management.

The work is done free of charge, and Miller says last year their crews removed approximately 2,000 trees that posed a threat to electrical wires and trimmed about 1,500 miles. More than half of that was in Westchester. Many of the trees that are removed are already dead or diseased.

Local police officials say the program has helped the area's first responders especially when storms hit. "When trees come down and involve the wires, it's very hazardous to pedestrians, motorists, etc. and also for us to respond to any emergency. Whether it's the police, fire or an ambulance so the benefit is significant," says North Castle Police Chief Peter Simonsen.

Living on beautiful Briggs Lane in Armonk, George Drapeau has certainly seen his share of downed trees and wires after a storm. He says he likes the idea that healthy trees can be preserved simply by trimming and keeping them from becoming a hazard. "I'd much rather have a tree care program than 40 generators going after a storm."

If you think you have trees that may qualify for Con Ed's tree program, just contact them and they'll send someone to come check out your property.