March 2012
This is the third of a series of articles discussing our right-of-way and vegetation management program.
Right-of-way practices aid reliability and enhance scenic beauty Keeping the path of power lines free of large trees and brush helps our members enjoy reliable electricity flowing to their homes and businesses. It also provides a safe working environment for our line technicians whether they’re doing routine work on the system or trying to quickly get power restored for members when an outage does occur. Vegetation must be continually managed in rights of ways in order to meet reliability and safety goals.That’s why our comprehensive, innovative right-of-way program includes selective herbicide. As you know, your cooperative utilizes a combination approach to right-of-way maintenance. In the first part of the process, trees and large growth that threaten reliability are either cut with mechanical trimmers or trimmed by hand. The following summer, an environmentally safe herbicide treatment that allows low-growing vegetation to thrive is applied by hand to the sprouts of the large trees cut the preceding year. Crews using backpack applicators apply the herbicide directly to the vegetation that could grow back into the lines. This low-volume, manual method of vegetation management also helps ensure the beauty and natural habitat of the many plants and animals in our area is enhanced. In fact, these practices are endorsed by several important animal and plant experts and organizations such as the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources, The National Wild Turkey Federation, Quail Unlimited, Buckmasters and the National Butterfly Association. A certified arborist on our staff manages our right-of-way program. Under his supervision, Blue Ridge Electric has been awarded the prestigious “Lines of Distinction” award for “safety, environmental stewardship, innovation and integrity in maintaining reliable service for its members and balancing the beauty of the area and natural habitats for many living plants and animals.” Finally, you can be assured that member satisfaction with our right-of-way program is a priority for us. Because we respect your property, member notification is part of our plan. Planned maintenance that requires us to be on a member’s property is preceded by an automated phone call so that our members are notified well in advance of any work. If we cannot reach a member by phone after several attempts, a postcard will be mailed. This multiple notification process was developed to make members aware of the need to be on their property.
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