Safety and Vegetation Management
Vegetation Management Essential For Safety
Vegetation management is an important aspect of Access Energy Cooperative's goal of delivering power that is safe, reliable, environmentally responsible and affordable. It is extremely important for reducing outages from branches falling on lines during storms, shrubbery interfering with voltage levels, etc. This process is also paramount in the co-ops' mission of safety by helping to reduce the potential for an electrical contact when trees are too close to power lines.
Vegetation management is a combination of tree pruning, brush and vine pruning, and chemical treatment to impede future growth. Across the U.S., thousands of instances occur each year when injuries result from unqualified individuals climbing or pruning trees that are too close to power lines. And, the reliability we count on day in and day out can be comprised if trees come into contact with power lines during storms. In fact, tree branches that fall into power lines are one of the leading causes of outages during the storm season.
To ensure safe and reliable service for all of our member-consumers, routine trimming or pruning of trees and other vegetation - such as vines, shrubs and bushes - is sometimes necessary. Branches that come into contact with power lines can cause power impairments in many ways by reducing voltage, causing short circuits, complete outages and fires. The result can be injuries to those near the lines or a lack of power to our homes and businesses. When outages occur, safety also becomes a focal point. Without power, service to fire alarms, traffic signals and emergency medical equipment can be impacted.
Access Energy Cooperative currently conducts inspections of our system and trims 14% of the trees on our system annually. This means once every seven years we trim the trees in your area. While we try to trim back enough to allow for seven years growth, some faster growing trees may need to be trimmed before the normal schedule. If limbs or branches are touching the electric wires on your farm or at your home, let us know. We will schedule the work for the most efficient time and manner to remove the hazard.
If you have any questions or want to report a tree that needs to be trimmed, please call us at 319-385-1577 or toll free at 1-866-242-4232 or fill out a form on our website at www.accessenergycoop.com.
Trees and shrubbery have an important place in our communities. They provide cool breezes, relief from glare and noise and a strong visual appeal to our yards, streets and businesses. Rest assured, Access Energy Cooperative works hard to make sure trees also have a positive role in the overall safety and reliability of our systems.