CVEC clears the corridor beneath and around its power lines to keep the lights on and to keep your family and our line crews safe and sound. This practice is known as right-of-way (ROW) management.
CVEC maintains a 40-foot right-of-way for distribution lines and, depending on the voltage, a 75 to 200-foot right-of-way for transmission lines. You will likely see ROW crews once every five years in your neighborhood, trimming mature trees or cutting down young saplings so they will not grow into the wire zone of the power lines or hinder power restoration and maintenance efforts.
The co-op utilizes an Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM) program to maintain the ROW. IVM is defined by the EPA as “the practice of promoting desirable, stable, low-growing plant communities —that will resist invasion by tall-growing species — through the use of appropriate, environmentally sound, and cost-effective control methods.” Adopting IVM on ROW can:
- Improve transmission reliability
- Reduce vegetation management and utility customer’s costs
- Improve native plant and songbird habitat
- Provide other ecological benefits (IE: reduce runoff, control invasive species, etc.)
CVEC maintains rights-of-way through the following methods:
Bush Hogging & Chainsaw Work
- Every five years, we may pass through with a tractor and bush hog to knock down saplings and reduce the vegetation to a height where repair crews will be able to reach that section of the power line corridor.
- Where mature trees are present, CVEC may find it necessary to trim and/or lower the overall height of the tree. This will allow five years of growth for the tree and ensure reliable service for you and your neighbors.
Self Maintenance
- Hunt groups and nature enthusiasts often use a right-of way to create a specific habitat for songbirds, butterflies, wild turkeys, quail, and deer. If you have an area of land beneath the power line that you think would be suitable for such a habitat — or for planting a food plot, a good time to start that project would be immediately after CVEC has cleared the ROW.
- Remember, both sides of a ROW need to remain navigable for bucket trucks, trimmers, and bush hogs. Also, tilled food plots can soften the ground, hindering maintenance activities. Do not plant tree-to-tree feed plots and do not build structures, such as sheds, greenhouses, raised gardens, etc. within the right-of-way corridor.
Habitat Conversion
- Where feasible, CVEC aims to convert ROWs from tree-dominated corridors to those featuring low-growing shrubs on the sides and native grasses and forbs in the center.
CVEC utilizes an herbicide that is safe for animals and promotes habitats suitable for pollinators such as the Monarch Butterfly. The herbicide is spot-sprayed on the green leaves of each sapling in the ROW. This inhibits the tree’s natural enzymes, preventing additional growth and reducing the root system.
Trees bordering the right-of-way corridor will develop lateral branch growth toward the power lines and into the ROW. If left uncontrolled, branches can cause power outages and make it difficult for repair crews to work during restoration efforts. Momentary contact with the power line will cause a temporary fault, resulting in a power “blink” that resets your clocks.
- CVEC controls lateral tree growth by “side-walling” on a 10-year cycle through a number of methods.
- Traditionally, side-walling is performed with mechanical cutters that move along the right-of-way. Manual trimming is impractical and is both time consuming and dangerous.
- A second method is aerial trimming, performed by a helicopter that follows the tree line and trims the lateral branch growth with rotary blades. This method is very effective, particularly in the mountains and over water.
Look up when you are planting trees in your yard so you can avoid locations that will allow the tree to grow up and into a power line.
If you have a yard tree that needs to be trimmed because it is approaching or may fall into a power line, there are several options:
- If the tree is approaching or threatening a single-phase or three-phase power line that delivers power to you and your neighbors, CVEC will trim the tree to allow 5 years of growth before additional trimming is necessary.
- If you decide to trim or cut down a tree in your yard, give us a call. CVEC will temporarily drop the service line to your home to allow the work to be done safely.
- If trimming is not a suitable solution and you choose to have the tree cut down at CVEC’s suggestion, then you would qualify for the CVEC Yard Tree Replacement Program.
This is a special program for cutting down yard trees that are growing into CVEC's single-phase and three-phase power lines and that would otherwise require trimming to prevent power outages and safety hazards.
Call CVEC to determine if there’s a tree in your yard that qualifies. If it does, CVEC will cut down the tree, chip the brush, and provide a suitable replacement tree (Dogwood, Redbud, or Crepe Myrtle) to be planted away from the ROW.
Underground facilities, such as transformers (green boxes) need to be clear of obstructions on all sides so that crews can safely access them without damaging your landscaping. Avoid planting vegetation or building structures next to underground electric facilities.
Never attach items such as signs, tree stands, or flags to utility poles. Doing so creates a hazard for crews trying to access overhead power lines. Please obey the markings on our equipment!
- Trimming crews will use a chipper to grind up brush and debris left from trimming in areas where the homeowner mows their yard.
- Any debris along the rights-of-way, where the homeowner does not mow, will be ground up and left on the edge of the rights-of-way.
- Any debris on the mountainside where it is not safe to get a bush hog or chipper will be left along the rights-of-way.
CVEC sends a ROW brochure to members prior to ROW trimming. View the ROW brochure:
CVEC maintains right-of-ways through the following methods:
- Low Height Zone: These trees do not exceed 20 feet in mature height and must be planted 30 feet from the pole or powerline, 10 feet outside of the ROW.
- Medium Height Zone: These trees generally exceed 20 feet in mature height and must be planted at least 40 feet from the pole or powerline, 20 feet outside of the ROW.
Species Recommended for Planting
List of recommended vegetation that can be planted outside of the CVEC rights-of-way.Danger trees are dead, diseased, damaged, leaning or other trees that have grown to create a hazard to CVEC's facilities. These trees are at risk of striking the Cooperative’s lines, poles and other infrastructure if they fall. Danger trees may be located outside the boundaries of CVEC's rights-of-way and may be cut down at any time at the discretion of the Cooperative.
If a homeowner requests a tree be cut down, CVEC will determine whether it falls under our responsibility. If so, CVEC will cut down the tree, but the homeowner will be responsible for cleanup.
Danger Tree Submission
If a homeowner requests a tree be cut, CVEC will determine whether it falls under our responsibility. If so, CVEC will cut the tree, but the homeowner will be responsible for cleanup. To report a danger tree, use the form below. *This form should only be used to report non-emergency hazards to the Cooperative. Members are reminded to stay at least 30 feet from objects in contact with power lines.