The typical consumer often takes electrical service for granted – until the power goes out. We know that utility companies don’t take for granted something as important as the electrical service to their customers. We don't either. But what can be done to improve it?
The solution is simple – provide an effective plan to control one of the elements that causes a great deal of the headaches. Storms, lightning strikes, high winds, ice, and the simple passing of time can easily cause overgrown trees, limbs and other vegetation to come in contact with electrical infrastructure, causing outages and creating a lot of emergency line clearance and restoration expenses. A great deal of that effort and expense can be avoided by having an effective Vegetation Management program in operation.
Important Background Information
In 2006, The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a lengthy report about the power outage that occurred in the Northeast Part of the United States in 2003, and determined that the No. 1 cause of the outage was “Conductor contact with trees due to inadequate vegetation management.” *
In summary, the investigation revealed that, among other things, the outage could have been prevented with a solid, comprehensive vegetation management plan. It was also recommended that Utility Vegetation Management standards should be mandated and compliance enforced through legislation.
The importance of an effective UVM program cannot be denied, but the service and safety improvements and return on investment make it something of great value as well, but where do you start?
Here's How We Do It
System Assessment
The first step in developing an effective Utility Vegetation Management Program is a thorough system assessment. We combine a team of highly trained arborists on the ground with sophisticated statistical sampling and modeling techniques to quickly, cost-effectively and accurately determine the impact of vegetation on your circuits, and suggest the most efficient course of action for the ongoing management of that vegetation. We present you with a detailed report that will give you the most accurate picture possible and provide you with data and recommendations that you can immediately implement for your benefit.
More about the System Assessment
Pre-Inspection
An effective ongoing UVM plan starts with Pre-Inspection. Skilled arborists walk your system, taking into account the location, species, condition, and growth rate of vegetation and line clearance requirements. Trees and shrubs are tagged for removal or trimming, and all the information is inputted into a database for tracking. This data is used to create detailed work plans for contract tree-trimming crews. These plans detail the proper steps to take in order to ensure that vegetation re-growth won't be a problem before the next trimming cycle - our plans have maximum effectiveness and efficiency as their goal, not the generation of on-going revenue for tree trimming crews.
More about Pre-Inspection
Why We Don't Trim Trees
Customer Relations
Our arborists are professional, educated, professionally dressed and courteous. They will represent you in the field, to your customers, with excellence, notifying your customers of tree-trimming or removal activities that will affect them, fostering better public relations. And when you run into the inevitable issue of customer refusal - that customer who doesn't want you to touch that precious tree in their yard, but is a potential problem for electric service - our arborists are trained in proven conflict management techniques to help you deal with the refusal in the field, leading to a more positive outcome.
More about Customer Relations
Post Auditing
Part of increasing the efficiency of any UVM Program must involve accountability. In Post Auditing, we evaluate the work the tree-trimming crews have completed to see if they have followed the UVM plan and specifications according to our detailed recommendations. Work is checked for proper pruning (amount and techniques) as well as scheduled tree removals and herbicide applications. This ensures that premature re-growth - and its associated remediation expense - will not be an issue. If a problem is found, it is submitted back to the contract tree crews for correction - at their expense. The end result is that your system is correctly maintained. You don't end up paying for work that wasn't done, or was done improperly.
More about Post Auditing
Why We Don't Trim Trees
Total Management
If you have a more 'informal' Vegetation Management program in place, getting to a 'best-in-class' program can seem like a giant leap. It’s likely that you may not have the human resources to complete the assignment. We can help! Besides assessing, planning and auditing the UVM Program for your system, we can also help you manage the entire program. From choosing contractors to negotiating the best rates in your contracts to coordinating and overseeing the work, ACRT can offer you a turnkey solution.
More about Total Management
The ACRT Ready Force
The world is an unpredictable place. Weather is unpredictable, people are unpredictable, and circumstances are unpredictable. Sometimes, without warning there is an emergency and you can find yourself in need of help – but not just ANY help. You’re seeking highly trained and skilled help. That's where our new ACRT Ready Force can be of service. We continuously maintain “ready” teams of professional arborists who can be quickly deployed to meet unexpected client needs. Some of our clients already have used these Ready Force personnel, especially when unexpected storms have hit their customers causing widespread outages. Our personnel are available at the launch of a new UVM program to accelerate the process of getting out-of-control vegetation quickly under control - and that's only the beginning.
More About the Ready Force
Other References:
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Resources on 2003 Blackout.
*Testimony of Chairman Wood Before the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia, Committee on Governmental affairs.
Transcript of testimony.
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