Right-of-way management benefits wildlife, promotes plant diversity By Derrill E. Holly
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n Mississippi, it’s a tortoise. In New England, it’s a hare. Those years. Effective management can help make them ecological assets. are just two species symbolizing the successes electric cooperStarting small for big benefits atives are achieving with vegetation management strategies de“Utility easements create opportunities to establish or expand signed to reduce right-of-way maintenance costs while improving habitat,” said Mace Vaughan, co-director of pollinator conservawildlife habitat. “Instead of 12 feet of open space immediately under our poles, tion and agricultural biodiversity for the Xerces Society for Inwe have opened up our entire 100 feet of right of way,” said Wesley vertebrate Conservation in Portland, Oregon. “When you bring Graham, a transmission field biologist at Cooperative Energy. wildflower and plant diversity into those areas, you can make The Hattiesburg, Mississippi-based generation and transmission them more productive.” That means healthy new growth can be (G&T) cooperative used the catastrophic system damage caused by “feathered in,” featuring shorter or slower growing trees and othHurricane Katrina in 2005 to completely rethink its approach to er plants, protecting more mature forests from high winds that right-of-way management, and the results are paying off. might topple trees into rights of way. “In five years, we’ve seen evidence “No one wants trees growing up that gopher tortoises are nesting or into or falling onto power lines, so moving boundary-to-boundary,” said we’re offering solutions that can help Graham. He has collected reams of promote and maintain diverse ecodata on nest activity indicating an systems,” said Vaughan. “Encouragincrease in population for the species ing growth of smaller stature shrubs which remains on the U.S. Fish and helps create sunny, open meadows Wildlife Service’s endangered species that support pollinators and other list. wildlife.” Before Katrina ripped down much Foresters and botanists have idenof the co-op’s transmission system, tified varieties of slow-growing or vegetation management meant mowmedium-height mature trees, flowing the entire 1,800 miles of transmisering or fruiting shrubs, forbs, grassThe data surrounding Cooperative Energy’s new vegetation sion corridors on a four-year rotation management strategies shows an increase in populations of es and wildflowers suitable for natuand side trimming boundary vegeta- quail, wild turkey, white-tailed deer and other species. ralized landscaping. tion over a 15 to 20-year cycle. When they are established along SOURCE: COOPERATIVE ENERGY Graham now uses herbicides or near a utility transmission right specifically formulated to control woody vegetation within the of way, they can offer a welcoming stop for insects and animals 100-foot-wide utility easements. Crews walking the right of way moving along easement edges between parkland and larger, unare able to treat half the system within an annual control cycle. developed areas. “There’s evidence that the change has increased populations of Helping Mother Nature quail, wild turkey, white-tailed deer and squirrels,” said Graham. Small populations of the New England cottontail, sometimes “It’s a win for the co-op, it’s a win for the landowners and it’s a win called the gray hare, have been identified from eastern New York for the environment.” to southeastern Maine. The Natural Resource Conservation SerLike many electric cooperatives, Cooperative Energy is reducing its reliance upon pruning, cutting and mowing as primary vice (NRCS) is involved in a three-year conservation plan for the methods of right-of-way vegetation management, and turning to species on behalf of USDA’s Working Lands for Wildlife Program. resource management techniques to save money and energy. Several utilities in the region are supporting the project in northMany G&Ts are working with the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. eastern New York and six nearby states. Fish and Wildlife Service, state natural resources and environmenA major utility transmission corridor in Maine has been planttal agencies. Cooperative Energy’s current vegetation management ed with shrubby habitat that could attract rabbits and there is evplan was also reviewed by environmental interest groups like the idence they are moving along the right of way and establishing National Wild Turkey Federation. new active colonies. “We’ve worked to develop a program that’s beneficial to all inThe challenge is finding ways to mimic nature, while convolved, and that includes wildlife,” said Graham. “We’re trying to trolling growth to occupy available space. Wildlife friendly habcreate ecosystems that support biologic diversity.” itats can be compatible with most urban and suburban homes, Instead of using turf grasses, like Bermuda or Bahia, Cooperaleaving ample room for outdoor recreation and entertaining. tive Energy has stripped away invasive or overly dominant vegetaDerrill Holly writes on cooperative issues for the National Rural tion, enabling native grasses to recover, said Graham. Graham and other G&T vegetation management experts now sugElectric Cooperative Association, the Arlington, Va.-based service gest that transmission right of way be viewed as natural corridors for arm of the nation’s 900-plus consumer-owned, not-for-profit electric wildlife because many easements have been in place for more than 50 cooperatives. 40 MARCH 2018
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