Trees & Powerlines Do Not Mix
“Be as useful as a tree! Give life to others; be shelter to everyone; grant fruits to all! Be good like a tree!”
That quote is striking. It accurately describes the unique qualities trees offer and appropriately holds trees in extremely high regard. Trees truly have many attributes that enhance our landscape and our lives. While it is easy to take such things for granted, their constant presence gently reminds us of their importance.
Proper care of trees is imperative. Even though power lines and trees may seem to be archrivals, YVEC takes our responsibility of managing the trees in and around our rights-of-way seriously. There have been some events involving trees that have proven to be disastrous and costly.
In 2003, 1 single tree touching a transmission line in Ohio was all it took to bring about the largest power outage in United States history. Within 5 hours on a hot August day, power was down in 8 northeastern states and parts of Canada. 1 tree. 55 million people without power. A 6 billion economic hit.
15 years later, California’s deadliest and most destructive fire in history was the result of a utility’s failure to keep power lines clear of trees and vegetation. The 2018 Camp Fire, as it was called, ravaged Northern California, killing at least 85 people, destroying nearly 19,000 buildings, and charring an area the size of Chicago. The total estimated damage for this entire event is estimated at $16.5 billion.
These incidents demonstrate the importance of keeping the area around power lines clear. Simply put, trees and power lines do not mix. YVEC’s tree trimming program helps keep people and property safe. We don’t cut trees down or trim them because we like to cut trees, we are doing it for reliability and safety. We manage our rights-of-ways for 2 reasons; to ensure a safe and reliable electric system and to help prevent fires.
Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative has over 140 miles of transmission lines and almost 2,700 miles of distribution lines. Additionally, we have 22 substations that make up our utility plant. Keeping trees clear of our power lines is a full-time job. With thousands of miles of line to monitor and maintain, we trim and cut trees year-round.
In January 1998, instead of using contractors, YVEC hired our own right-of-way crew. This 2-man crew became our first full-time crew strictly responsible for tree trimming and cutting around our power lines. Over the years, this decision has proven to be a particularly good one. After just a couple of years, we saw our tree-related power problems and outages reduced significantly. When storms came, the outages were noticeably smaller and much easier to manage. This had a lot to do with keeping trees clear of our lines. (77630000)
After some research and contemplation, YVEC added a second full-time right-of-way crew in 2017. The time had come to add 2 additional full-time employees and associated equipment to help care for our ever-growing utility plant.
Having 2 tree trimming crews full time allows us to improve our power quality and reliability. Our goal is to prevent unnecessary power disruptions and keep people and property safe. The tree trimmers and all employees of YVEC are savvy and work hard. They will, no doubt, help us with our mission of providing reliable, affordable power to our members.
Brandon J. Wittman
Chief Executive Officer