The world of Vegetation Management is dynamic by nature. Lines and poles may stand for decades without change, but the vegetation along a utility right-of-way continually changes, continuing to grow from year to year. Couple this with the fact that vegetation is cited as being responsible for numerous power interruptions every year, and it becomes easy to understand why utilities must have programs in place to manage this changing environment. You can read EnergyUnited's Environmental Statement here.
Currently, EnergyUnited maintains 6,000 miles of overhead distribution lines and 200 miles of transmission lines that together supply electricity to over 125,000 members within our service territory. This equates to approximately 25,455 acres of distribution and 2,425 acres of transmission corridor that must be patrolled and maintained on a routine basis.
To accomplish this task, EnergyUnited employs an Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM) approach to maintaining its right-of-ways. This method combines both traditional and mechanical re-clearing that includes pruning, mowing, and hand cutting, along with periodic application of selective herbicides, in order to control incompatible vegetation.
The goal of this program is to provide a safe, reliable, and cost-effective supply of electricity to our members by limiting the number of interruptions due to vegetation-related issues, and to ensure repair crews are able to access right-of-way areas in order to make any necessary repairs and aid in faster restoration times in the event of outages.
You can read EnergyUnited's Environmental Statement here.