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• electric and magnetic fields • siting and natural resources • vegetation management • wildlife and endangered species

• vegetation management resources electric company members only • EEI committees and other resources

Electric Companies and Vegetation Management

In order to avoid interruptions in electric service that overgrown or fallen vegetation can cause, electric companies use various methods to control or remove vegetation in a safe and environmentally conscious manner. 

• Vegetation Management Reporting Templates
  On April 19, 2004, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an order  requiring all transmission providers to report on their vegetation management practices by June 17, 2004.  To streamline the reporting process, EEI coordinated with its electric company members—in consultation with FERC—to develop two reporting templates.

About Vegetation Management

In order to avoid the constant interruptions in electric service that overgrown or fallen vegetation can cause, electric companies use various methods to control or remove vegetation in a safe and environmentally conscious manner. These are called rights-of-way vegetation management programs. The goal of such programs is to provide safe transmission and distribution services and minimize disruptions caused by trees and other vegetation, while maintaining a harmonious relationship with the environment. Properly maintained rights-of-way are essential to providing safety for utility workers and customers.

Memorandum of Understanding

After several years of negotiations, the electric power sector and federal land management agencies have finalized an agreement to facilitate tree trimming and vegetation management near electric infrastructure on federal lands, an accord that will bolster efforts to ensure electric reliability, while protecting critical wildlife habitat.

• Read the EEI news release.
• Download a copy of the memorandum of understanding  (MOU).

Vegetation Management and the August 2003 Blackout

• The U.S.-Canada Power System Outage Task Force's Final Report
  The U.S.-Canada Power System Outage Task Force's final report on the August 2003 blackout and a study on Utility Vegetation Management identified the need for vegetation management standards to ensure grid reliability.

Methods of Vegetation Management

There are several different ways of controlling vegetation around power line rights-of-way. These include both mechanical and chemical or herbicide methods.

While mechanical methods at first may seem the less harmful way to controlling vegetation, these methods, in fact, have many disadvantages. Cutting and mowing vegetation have the undesired effect of causing vegetation to grow back thicker and fuller, requiring repeated and often more frequent cutting and mowing. Mechanical methods also have many hidden risks, such as worker and environmental exposure to petroleum products that power mechanical equipment, physical injury from sharp tools and equipment, and the significant alteration of wildlife habitats.

Herbicide methods, on the other hand, can be used in a controlled and selective manner to focus just on those plants and trees that are problematic. Most herbicides used for vegetation control have low human and animal toxicity. Herbicides generally have lower toxicity than the petroleum products released by mechanical cutting equipment. These methods also can result in more desirable wildlife habitats.

Research about Vegetation Management Methods

Research into improved technologies for vegetation management is ongoing. Research efforts include reducing worker exposure to herbicides during mixing and reducing environmental risks associated with disposal of containers.

Other areas of study include, for example, types of vegetation that actually slow down the invasion of incompatible tree species through allelopathy, the suppression of growth of one plant species through the natural toxics released by another plant species. This research could lead to the use of "natural pesticides," or biopesticides, as a method for controlling vegetation on rights-of-way.

The electric power industry cooperates with manufacturers, regulators, and research institutions to test and develop safe and effective herbicide products and application equipment. The industry will continue to support research that is based on scientifically sound risk reduction principles that benefit the environment, electric company workers, and customers.

Environmental Stewardship Strategy for Electric Company Rights-of-Way

Environmental Stewardship Strategy for Electric Utility Rights-of-Way
EEI developed a strategy for the development of integrated vegetation management, which it distributed to its member companies. This strategy, which received written approval and certification from EPA, determines the optimal combination of methods for vegetation management for a specific area.

© 2008 Edison Electric Institute