Between the Lines: Alabama Power’s vegetation control team protects the environment, helps keep the lights on

The state of Alabama is so rural and has so many trees that vegetation accounts for about 20-25% of Alabama Power outages each year.

It’s the single largest cause of all of our non-weather-related outages.

That’s why controlling vegetation by working to keep trees and brush away from power lines is a vital part of how we provide reliable electricity.

But that work is always balanced with our commitment to protecting the environment in a way that’s not only healthy but – when possible – aesthetically pleasing.

Nick Jackson, vegetation support supervisor at Alabama Power, has worked for the company 13 years. His interaction with Alabama Power began as a vegetation contractor in the Anniston area; he was hired full time in 2012. Jackson recently shared insights into how the company manages vegetation around power lines and how those efforts serve the environment.

How do you decide when and where to cut?

Alabama covers 52,423 square miles (34 million acres). It consists of 67 counties spread out across 33 million acres of land.

Alabama Power maintains over 11,000 miles of Transmission and over 63,000 miles of Distribution rights of way. That’s over 230,000 acres of easements that intersect throughout one of the most forested states in the country. To put that number of acres into perspective, that’s over 51,000 Major League Baseball fields or 174,242 NFL fields!

Electric utility vegetation maintenance is an ever-present practice that is necessary in providing safe and reliable electricity to our customers. We use an Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM) approach that balances the use of mechanical, chemical, cultural and biological treatments to establish and maintain a vegetative cover type that is compatible with the environment. We determine the timing and work locations of conducting these VM treatments based on a number of factors. These include regulatory compliance requirements, reliability data of our system and a commitment of service to our internal and external customers, as well as leveraging technology in the analysis of current vegetation conditions on our system.

What is the standard for cutting? What type of berth are you trying to achieve around Alabama Power equipment?

For Transmission rights of way, we have regulatory standards of vegetation clearances known as minimum vegetation clearance distances (MVCDs). Our VM activities are scheduled with the priority of preventing any vegetation encroachment within these critical distances. In some circumstances, corrective action must be taken ahead of planned activities to ensure compliance with these standards. Single-line Transmission easements are typically 50 feet to 125 feet wide, while Distribution easements are often 30 feet wide.

For both Transmission and Distribution, we aim to achieve full clearance to the edge of our acquired easement for multiple reasons:

1. To improve right-of-way accessibility for our line maintenance crews during routine work as well as power restoration events.
2. To improve customer reliability by avoiding potential vegetation grow-in and fall-in events.
3. Avoidance of significant reclamation costs.

Explain Alabama Power’s rights-of-way rules when it comes to vegetation.

There are two primary zones of consideration near our power line easements – the “small zone” and the “medium zone.” Plants in the small zone are nearest the wire itself and should be less than 10 feet in total height. Remember, plants directly under power lines should be minimized to provide safe access for utility workers (and to avoid damage to landscaping when maintenance or repairs are needed).

The medium zone is generally farther than 15 feet away from the center of the distribution line. Low-growing ornamental trees that do not exceed a mature height of 20 feet can be considered in this zone. Remember that no plant should be placed within 15 feet of poles or structures. Also, consideration should be made as to how the plant could impact structures in the future, i.e., vines planted too close to guy wire anchors.

Transformers for underground utilities should also have safe clearances of plantings. Consideration should be given to the mature spread of any plantings in relation to these transformers. No plants or structures should be placed within 10 feet to ensure adequate access for maintenance.

Remember, when planting anything, be mindful of the growth pattern and how it could affect the safety and reliability of your electric service.

If someone wants trees cut away from power lines on their property, what options do they have?

Customers who wish to have trees trimmed or removed away from powerlines should consult the Alabama Power website; call Customer Service, 1-800-245-2244; or email apcvm@southernco.com.

Once the requests have been processed, a representative will perform the field inspection and follow up with the customer.

There’s also an FAQ section and an electronic form to fill out for easement-related questions on the site.

What environmental accommodations are considered when addressing vegetation?

Our ideal right-of-way ground conditions would include natural grasses and forbs without the presence of woody stems (trees/shrubs) that inhibit access and interfere with electrical service. Depending on the soil conditions, some sections of right of way are more suited to hold these native species like goldenrod and flowering asters. Of course, even the ideal right of way is constantly advancing from field to forest without interference from humans. The rate and distance of seed dispersal from many of our native tree species is quite impressive. Maple trees, for example, have helicopter-like seed features that allow them to be carried up to several hundred miles under the right wind conditions!

Trees and woody vegetation that are cut or mowed still have a viable root system that often re-sprouts prolifically. Herbicides are applied to prevent sprouts from growing quickly and thereby reduce the need for repetitive cutting and mowing.

The application of herbicides results in the growth of compatible low-growing, non-woody plants, such as grasses and other species. These new, low-growing plant communities provide greater plant biodiversity, improving wildlife and pollinator habitats.

The herbicide products we use are approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which requires rigorous toxicological, environmental and chemical testing before the herbicides are registered for use.

All applications are performed under the supervision of a licensed applicator.

Are there any carve-outs for wildlife habitats?

When rights of way are managed with an IVM approach, they are themselves a vast network of wildlife habitats.

Milkweed, for example, is a common right-of-way early successional species, and it’s a primary food source for pollinators like the Monarch butterfly. We often see a variety of wildlife within our easements. These animals are often attracted to the biological diversity and natural forage in small plants and forbs found within our managed easements. Birds of prey will also use our easements due to the line of sight available to them. Whitetail deer, turkey and songbirds are just a few examples of the wildlife that enjoys the benefits of a managed right of way.

Some transmission lines are deep in forests, swamps or rolling hills. How is vegetation control prioritized for those areas?

There are many miles of dirt roads, gated properties and all-out delta swamps that slow down or hinder “boots on the ground” inspections. We rely heavily on technology in our vegetation management approach. LiDAR technology is exceptionally accurate in identifying vegetation clearances in relation to our transmission pole and line assets. (LiDAR is a light-based sensing technology that uses lasers to measure distances and map environments.) We can leverage this technology to aid in these geographical challenges.

Our company linemen are very resourceful and creative as far as gaining access to those remote areas. It’s hard to portray what all goes into it, but it’s certainly a team effort, and the right-of-way conditions play a large part in that. If you can access up and down the right of way itself, it’s so much easier than snaking your way through the woods.

How often is your team involved with restoring power after storms?

I’d say that in most of the storm events, our vegetation management team and tree-trimming contractors are involved heavily. We rely heavily on tree-trimming contractors to clear the debris so our linemen can come in and set the pole or put the line back up and restore power. It’s a team effort, and we all need each other to be successful in restoring power for our customers.

With 74,000 miles of power lines, what’s the workload like for the vegetation control team?

We currently have 16 company field-level arborists to cover over 74,000 miles of electrical lines. Let’s take a minute to put that into perspective. If all of our lines were in a straight line from St. Augustine, Florida, all the way across the country to Anchorage, Alaska, that would be the equivalent of 4,625 miles. That would be the territory for one of our arborists. Can you imagine having to inspect from St. Augustine to Anchorage, looking for dead trees and hazards and trying to manage that breadth of rights of way? It’s quite amazing.

You multiply that by 16 or 17, and that’s the area that Alabama Power covers, so it’s definitely a tall task that we’re asked to do.

What type of education/training does it take to become an arborist?

To become an (International Society of Arboriculture) ISA-certified arborist, there are minimum experience requirements and references needed for an application. Upon meeting those requirements, there are certification exams that must be passed to receive the status of “arborist” and “utility arborist.” There’s several overlapping topics of study within an ISA certification curriculum and a forestry degree from a four-year university. For example, tree biology, tree health, natural resource management, GIS and mapping technology, LiDAR technology, negotiation skills training and many other topics are covered.

How does Utility Vegetation Management promote protection of the environment?

Alabama Power’s Power Delivery Contract Services department maintains a vegetation management staff of uniquely qualified individuals. Those employees typically have educational backgrounds in forestry, along with industry certifications in arboriculture.

For those unfamiliar with these fields, I like to describe forestry as the study of the health and management of a community of trees, whereas arboriculture focuses on the health and management of individual trees – typically in an urban setting.

Both fields of study recognize the high value in the protection of the environment. Our rural and urban forests benefit society in many ways, including aesthetics, air and water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, recreation and much more.

With over 74,000 miles of electrical lines and some 230,000 acres, Alabama Power’s rights of way connect with a vast number of forested rural and urban acres. So, as utility arborists, we have a tall task set before us in the oversight of contract vendors, who daily perform maintenance activities, to ensure safe and reliable utility rights of way within the Alabama Power service territory.

Gleaning from the forestry code of ethics, as utility arborists, we aim to “protect and serve society” by staying committed to the long-term management of a significant portion of our state’s abundant natural resources.

Between the Lines is a monthly column by Alabama Power’s Anthony Cook, sharing energy education that powers our daily lives.