Electricity and natural gas power our daily lives, but ensuring a safe
With a comprehensive system in place, maintenance activities oper-
and reliable energy supply requires diligent management of vegetation
ate on a seven-year cycle, with inspections conducted every 18 months.
near power lines and infrastructure.
This approach follows a systematic cycle, focusing on specific areas
Since joining NorthWestern Energy as Vegetation Management
and substations, ensuring maximum coverage across service territories.
Coordinator in 2016, Zach Miller has dedicated himself to vegetation
“I focus on one substation at a time to trim all the circuits connected
management across South Dakota and Nebraska. His extensive knowl-
to it,” Zach said. “While I may not complete the whole town in one year,
edge of arboriculture plays a pivotal role in maintaining a safe and
everything is rotated through eventually.”
reliable power distribution system.
For instance, in some regions, such as Kimball, South Dakota, an
Embracing a proactive approach, Zach and his team prioritize
entire town may only have two circuits from one substation, whereas in
regular tree trimming and maintenance to minimize service disruptions
Mitchell, South Dakota, four or five distribution substations are present.
caused by tree-related incidents. “We’re mainly trimming to help prevent trees from growing into power lines and identifying trees or parts of trees that could potentially fall onto the lines,” Zach said. Despite occasional tree-related outages due to weather, Zach’s proactive approach helps identify potential risks beforehand, reducing the likelihood of outages caused by trees. “We’ve established a cycle for our vegetation management system. We start with a substation and work through all the circuits connected to it to ensure nothing is missed,” he said.
By prioritizing one substation at a time and trimming all the circuits connected to it, Zach’s team ensures that every inch of a region becomes more dependable and resilient in the face of unforeseen events. Environmental concerns play a significant role in vegetation management. The team schedules trimming activities at appropriate times. “We’re not going to go in there and disturb someone’s property, whether it be a farm field, their lawn, or just a regular field. We’re going to wait until the ground’s solid,” Zach said. Zach strives to approach tree trimming as an arborist, prioritizing both the energy system requirements and the visual appeal of the tree.
Northwestern takes a strategic approach to vegetation management for a resilient energy infrastructure. 20 | BRIGHT MAGAZINE Vol. 3
