The problem is the electric wiring!

In such instances, you should contact the utility company which will take care of the problem or will suggest certified arborists who can.

Hello,
I don't know if I would want to call the utility company. I see how they will butcher trees here. Lets say there is a branch that is close to the wires. Not only will they remove the branch but if they think that there are branches that will be problematic in a few years they will cut them also. What I hate is that they really don't care about how they do it. Most of the time they ruin the tree. I have seen them cut pine trees almost in half.
Andrew

Southbay,
The challenge is getting close enough to where you want to cut or saw so that you have good control of your tool. Take the time to study/plan what you'll need to do before you get on the ladder. If you have someone standing by to help move branches out of your way -- that would help.
If you are prone to accidents, well ....

Hope we hear from you again.

I was once given the advise to not remove more than 2-3 ft off the fruiting canopy of the tree in one season (the tree might get stressed and might have a hard time recovering otherwise). So, you might want to consider that when you prune. You might want to remove 3 ft this year and then remove more next year. Spring is a good time to do this as there will be a lot of new growth to compensate for what you take off. Please plan on making/shaping the tree more bush shaped rather than tree shaped as it makes it easier for harvesting in the future. Good luck.