Little Rock, Ark. – Most Entergy Arkansas, Inc. customers are likely familiar with the sight of tree-trimming crews working in rural and residential areas, pruning tree branches and other vegetation away from power lines.

What is not so obvious, however, is the specialized care and training that goes into cutting those limbs and branches away. Entergy’s efforts to do the job right have earned the utility its fifth Tree Line USA designation from the Arbor Day Foundation.

The award, sponsored in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters, recognizes electric utilities that demonstrate a commitment to public education, tree planting and quality tree care.

“It is an honor to Entergy that the Arbor Day Foundation recognizes the effort we have put into developing a responsible tree-trimming and vegetation management program,” said Don Woods, manager, T&D Vegetation Management, Entergy Arkansas, Inc.

Dan Lambe, vice president of programs for the Arbor Day Foundation, in announcing Entergy’s naming as a Tree Line USA utility, said. “Your utility’s effort in meeting Tree Line USA requirements – training your workers in quality tree-care practices and helping your customers understand appropriate trees near utility lines – not only helps to provide beautiful trees for the future, but also results in long-term operational savings for your utility.

“Trees make our communities more livable, increase property values and help clean the air,” Lambe said. “And trees conserve energy, which is especially important to utilities as peak demand is reduced.”

“Keeping tree limbs and other vegetation away from power lines is one of the most important aspects of providing safe and reliable service to customers in the south where maintenance requirements are year-round,” said Woods. “But when we need to trim tree limbs away from power lines, we do it in a selective and pro-active manner. We follow very specific tree cutting and pruning guidelines set by the American National Standards Institute that help ensure the health of the tree while meeting our need to keep limbs away from power lines.”

Entergy employs trained and experienced vegetation tree workers that must meet safety standards and industry guidelines. These processes address safe pruning techniques and minimum clearances near energized electric utility lines and facilities.

The company avoids topping trees, which removes only the tree’s crown, or tipping branches, where branches are cut in the middle instead of at the trunk. Both of those practices are harmful to trees. Correct arboricultural techniques help keep trees away from power lines for longer periods of time because proper pruning actually trains trees to grow away from the lines. That means trimming does not have to be as frequent and also the tree will repair itself better after it is trimmed.

Entergy also works to educate its customers about choosing the right kind of tree to plant in areas off of our electric power line easements.

“Don’t plant trees that will grow taller than 25 feet,” Woods said. “We agree wholeheartedly with the Arbor Day Foundation’s recommendations to use smaller growing trees such as redbud, dogwood, crabapple or crape myrtle in an area around power lines. Trees that don’t grow tall enough to get into power lines will improve safe and reliable service for you and will help assist our vegetation management programs.”

Entergy Arkansas, Inc. provides electricity to almost 687,000 customers in 63 counties. Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the second-largest nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

-30-
Entergy Arkansas’s, Inc.’s online address is entergy-arkansas.com
Twitter: @EntergyMediaArk