West Penn Power announced a $7 million tree trimming program that includes 5,000 miles of power lines and targets tens of thousands of ash trees for removal.

The work includes portions of Butler County including Parker and Portersville, the company said Monday.

The trimming and tree removal targets more than 56,000 ash trees, and as of early April more than 15,000 had been removed. The program protects power lines from being damaged by downed trees.

The tree trimming work is done on a five-year cycle and the company works with municipalities to inform them of tree trimming schedules, as well as with customers who live along rights-of-way.

West Penn Power serves about 720,000 customers in 24 counties in Pennsylvania.