Squirrels gather nuts. Skiers tune their gear. And NSTAR prepares for winter by trimming limbs that pose a threat to power lines.

Seven months after a powerful snowstorm cut electricity to some areas of the tri-town for five days, the power company has contracted tree specialist Asplundh to trim branches that may be a hazard to electrical lines.

“Fallen trees or branches are the number one cause of power outages, regardless of the weather,” said NSTAR spokesman Mike Durand.

He said the tree trimming takes place in NSTAR’s service territory year round, but the company has increased its efforts recently due to frequent, and powerful storms. This month, residents may have noticed a caravan of Asplundh crews on roadsides.

On Feb. 8,  a massive snowstorm  prompted Gov. Deval Patrick to declare a state of emergency.

Some customers lost power for five days. At the storm’s height 97 percent of NSTAR customers in Marion were without power. The storm damaged the area’s primary circuit breaker and delayed the restoration of power.

Officials from the three towns responded to a few medical calls and fires that broke out due to downed power lines. Shelters opened in Marion, Mattapoisett, and Rochester to accommodate people.

Durand said NSTAR has a comprehensive “vegetation management plan” to keep branches and old or diseased trees away from power lines.

Durand said if tree crews notice trees, whether they are on private property or town property, that might be dangerous the tree is marked with colored tape, which means the tree or any dangerous branches may need to cut.

“That doesn’t mean the trees will come down,” Durand said. “But they are deemed dangerous and the homeowner is alerted if the tree is in bad shape.”

NSTAR will then ask the property owner or municipality for permission to remove the tree.

“In most cases, homeowners are willing to cooperate because they know our goal is not to take down trees, but to remove the ones that are unsafe,” Durand said.

NSTAR also announced other safety measures that were rolled out this September, which is “National Preparedeness Month.”

NSTAR purchased three mobile centers outfitted with advanced communications equipment. When needed, these centers will be deployed to badly damaged areas to aid emergency restoration operations.

The company also announced a new text message service for use before, during, and after a major storm.

Those who sign-up for the service will get storm updates, estimated times of power restoration, shelter location information, and more. Durand stressed that during a storm residents should treat all downed wires as “live” wires.

“If limbs take down a wire, stay way,” he cautioned. “Call NSTAR or police or fire officials to notify them of the situation.”

Anyone coming across a downed line should stay clear and call the company at 800-592-2000.