Jul. 17, 2024
North Arkansas Electric Cooperative (NAEC) and contractors are continuing to eliminate the threat dead trees pose to the more than 5,000 miles of line that make up the distribution system.
When dead trees in and near the right-of-way inevitably fall, they often take power lines and poles down with them. This not only poses a safety concern for members of the public but also causes sometimes-lengthy outages for NAEC members while line personnel must repair the damage.
"For the past year, the co-op has taken a more proactive, systematic, circuit-by-circuit approach to these dead trees," said James Woody, vice president of operations. "The past few years, we've seen an increase in the number of dead trees, particularly ash trees, along our lines, and that has led to increased outages for our membership when storms or time eventually take them."
For the remainder of the year, NAEC employees and contractors will concentrate on the dead trees that are along the power lines, "topping off" dead trees inside of the right-of-way as well as dead trees outside of the right-of-way that will reach power lines when they fall. As is consistent with NAEC's policy, they will leave the dead tree or tree sections on the property where they do not cause a property access issue.
NAEC members can help prevent future tree-related outages by considering the location before planting a new one. Guidelines include:
Members with questions may email info@naeci.com or call 870-895-3221 during NAEC business hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
