Tree-Trimming Work Underway to Help Prevent or Minimize Power Outages Across Greater Cleveland

The Illuminating Company invests $19.7 million to reinforce the power grid during severe weather

CLEVELAND, May 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Illuminating Company, a FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) subsidiary, is conducting tree trimming and other vegetation management work in communities across its northeast Ohio service area as part of its ongoing efforts to help enhance electric service reliability. This year's $19.7 million tree-trimming program will help keep power flowing to customers by helping to prevent tree-related outages, such as those that can occur during the spring and summer storm season.

A video explaining and demonstrating tree-trimming work can be found on FirstEnergy's YouTube channel.

On the ground, contractors have trimmed trees along approximately 100 miles of power lines across the greater Cleveland area since the beginning of the year. The company is on track to complete an additional 1,750 miles of tree-trimming work by the end of the year. Similar work is performed annually by FirstEnergy transmission companies along high-voltage power lines in the company's service territory. 

Pat Mullin, Acting President of FirstEnergy's Ohio Operations: "Trees are a leading cause of power outages, and we complete proactive tree-trimming work each year to prevent tree-related outages during severe weather. This work, paired with the vast upgrades we've made to our local power system over recent years, undoubtedly helps minimize the impact of weather-related outages to keep the power flowing safely and reliably to customers."

Tree trimming is done on a four-year cycle. The work includes inspecting vegetation near power lines to ensure trees are pruned to preserve the health of the tree while also maintaining safe clearances. Trees that present a danger or are diseased may be removed.

This year, the work is being conducted in the following counties and communities:

• Ashtabula – Ashtabula Township, Geneva Township and Harpersfield Township
• Cuyahoga – Bedford, Bay Village, Beachwood, Bratenahl, Brooklyn, Cleveland, Cuyahoga Heights, East Cleveland, Euclid, Gates Mills, Hunting Valley, Lakewood, Mayfield Heights, Newburgh Heights, Oakwood, Parma, Richmond Heights, Shaker Heights, Walton Hills, Westlake and Woodmere
• Geauga – Claridon Township, Hambden Township, Hunting Valley, Huntsburg Township, Middlefield Township and Thompson Township
• Lake – Eastlake, Fairport Village, Grand River, Kirtland, Madison Township, Mentor, Painesville Township, Willowick and Willoughby
• Lorain – Avon Lake

As part of its notification process, The Illuminating Company works with municipalities to inform them of tree-trimming schedules. In addition, customers living in areas along company rights-of-way also are notified before vegetation management work is done.

The Illuminating Company's vegetation management work is conducted by certified forestry experts under the company's direction, including Asplundh Tree Expert Company, Davey Tree Expert Company, Penn Line Services and Townsend Tree Service.

In the air, helicopters equipped with aerial saws began trimming trees in March to maintain clearances along hard-to-access transmission and distribution corridors throughout The Illuminating Company's service area. The aerial saw is typically deployed along transmission and distribution lines in areas that may be environmentally sensitive or inaccessible to bucket trucks and other vehicles. This method typically covers more area in a day than a ground crew might complete in a week. The saw also eliminates the risk of injury to workers using bucket trucks or climbing trees to cut limbs near high-voltage equipment.

The Illuminating Company serves more than 750,000 customers across Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake and Lorain counties. Follow The Illuminating Company on X, formerly known as Twitter, @IlluminatingCo and on Facebook at facebook.com/IlluminatingCo.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving more than six million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com and on X @FirstEnergyCorp.

Editor's Note: Photos of workers trimming trees near FirstEnergy power lines are available for download on Flickr. B-roll of the aerial saw in action is available on YouTube.

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.