Maintaining Trees and Vegetation
Trees are a leading cause of electrical power outages. In fact when trees and power lines touch it creates a very dangerous situation that may even be deadly to anyone in close proximity.
To help ensure reliable and safe electric service, FirstEnergy's Vegetation Management Program works to keep our transmission and distribution rights-of-way free of incompatible trees and other vegetation.
Professional vegetation management crews assess each situation to determine the best approach to prevent trees from interfering with electrical facilities. Based on this assessment, they may use power saws, EPA-approved herbicides, mechanical equipment, or a combination of methods to control the vegetation.
Compatible shrubs that do not interfere with electric facilities are not disturbed. A diverse mixture of grasses, low growing shrubs and other ground cover preferred by birds, deer and small animals promote a thriving wildlife habitat. In this way, well-managed electric rights-of-way provide the food and cover wildlife need to survive.
To learn more about our tree and vegetation management practices please review the links below.
- Digging Near Underground Lines
Call 811 before you dig - Selecting the Right Tree and Vegetation for the Location
Trees and vegetation recommendations based on proximity to electric lines and pad-mounted enclosures - Homeowner Rights & Responsibilities
Your rights and tree maintenance responsibilities, including easements, emergency situations and debris disposal - Our Tree Maintenance Practices
An overview of why and how we prune trees, why some trees are removed, our use of herbicides, the impact of diseases on trees in our region, and a list of our vegetation management contractors - Temporary Disconnection for Tree Work
When and why power must be temporarily disconnected for safety reasons; instructions for customer-initiated disconnection and OSHA standards - Maintaining Transmission Rights-of-Way
- Vegetation Management Contractors
- New Jersey Vegetation Management Guidelines
- Potomac Edison/Maryland Vegetation Management Schedule
- 2023 Transmission Vegetation Management Corridor Schedule
- Report a Tree Problem
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