Utility Vegetation Management: The Importance of Keeping Plant Life at Bay

Plants can cause a lot of problems when they're left to grow unchecked. This is especially true of plants that lie close to power lines.

Utility vegetation management is an incredibly important consideration for DNOs (Distribution Network Operators). If vegetation is permitted to encroach on power lines, the results can be truly disastrous.

Fire hazards

Poor utility vegetation management can result in fires when greenery gets too close to power lines. The state of California, well known for its destructive wildfires, serves as a grim example of the risks: according to Elizaveta Malashenko of the California Public Utilities Commission, utility ignitions are to blame for around 10% of all California wildfires.

In October 2017 alone, utility electric power equipment was the cause of 12 wildfires in northern California. This clearly illustrates the need for effective vegetation management plans.

Storms and blackouts

But you don't have to look across the Atlantic to see the importance of utility vegetation management.

In October 2002, England and Wales were hit by storms and wind speeds approaching 100mph. Approximately 2 million consumers were without electricity for some time afterwards - outages lasted up to 10 days in some areas.

A subsequent report highlighted that some companies had not done everything they could to mitigate the risk of faults caused by vegetation.

Plants encroaching on power lines aren't just unsightly - they can be dangerous. As the above examples show, utility vegetation management is a critical task that's not to be neglected!

What do we offer?

Here at Taylor Total Weed Control, we offer an expert vegetation management service for a wide variety of commercial clients.

First, we'll come out and survey the problem to see which what type of vegetation is causing the problem. Once' we've assessed the problem, we'll be ale to talk you through the different utility vegetation management services we can offer you to get the problem under control before it develops into something more serious. 

We have a proven track record of dealing with utility vegetation management problems, and we look forward to hearing from you. Give us a call on 029 2039 7554 to discuss your requirements.

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