Trees are a leading cause of power outages, with 70% of REC’s outages caused by trees located outside of a right-of-way.
To address this ongoing challenge and enhance reliability for members, REC’s Vegetation Management team has been conducting intensive research and adopting innovative techniques to reduce tree-related outages.
One groundbreaking approach involves the use of Geographic Information System mapping and soil assessments to identify tree-caused outages. This technology allows the team to assess critical factors such as soil composition and environmental conditions that influence the likelihood of a tree being uprooted or broken during storms.
“By analyzing the soil’s impact on windthrow, which is the force of wind uprooting or damaging a tree, we can begin to predict which trees are most vulnerable before they cause an outage,” said Cindy Devlin Musick, Director of Vegetation Management Services.
This industry-leading research has been made possible by a grant from the International Society of Arboriculture's Tree Fund and is conducted in collaboration with West Virginia University. The data collected through these efforts is shaping a proactive approach to vegetation management.
“After a tree-related outage occurs, the team carefully examines the failed tree and surrounding area, taking into account environmental factors, and collecting soil samples to determine underlying causes,” explained Musick.
REC’s skilled team of professional arborists and foresters is at the forefront of these efforts. Their knowledge and advanced tools have allowed them to make consistent progress each year.
Last year, for instance, they removed more than 27,000 hazard trees to prevent power outages.
“REC is committed to ensuring greater reliability and safety for its members by reducing the risk of tree-caused outages across the system,” Musick said.
