matters MEMBERSHIP
A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FROM BLUE RIDGE ENERGY
February 2018
Vegetation management balances power reliability with scenic beauty
Vegetation management The single major cause of power outages during severe weather is damage to power lines from trees and limbs caused by severe weather such as high winds, heavy snow, ice, or lightning. With more than 8,000 miles of power lines to protect, Blue Ridge Energy works year-round on vegetation management to ensure members have the most reliable electricity possible. While Blue Ridge ranks among the most reliable electric providers, your cooperative has added another method to help achieve reliability in a safe, environmentally friendly manner: aerial tree pruning.
Used by utilities across the nation for years, aerial tree pruning is approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The process is less intrusive to member property and the environment than traditional methods.
As with all vegetation management, members are notified in advance of pruning. Debris is removed from maintained areas, while in nonmaintained areas, debris is either left or bush hogged to the ground. Vegetation management occurs in rights-of-way. A
right-of-way is a strip of land along either side of power lines. It helps protect the lines and allows linemen to work safely while building and maintaining the power system to ensure members receive reliable electricity. This method utilizes trained helicopter pilots who carefully conduct pruning along rights-of-ways. Trained employee “spotters� are located on ground level and are in constant communication with the pilot.
Our vegetation management program combines several growth control methods that balance scenic beauty with safe, reliable electricity. For more information, visit BlueRidgeEnergy.com/ Trees.
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