Toledo Edison, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), is currently carrying out tree trimming and other vegetation management operations across northwest Ohio. This is part of the company's ongoing efforts to enhance electric service reliability. The $7 million tree-trimming program for this year aims to maintain power supply to customers by preventing tree-related outages, particularly during the spring and summer storm season.
A video explaining and demonstrating the tree-trimming work can be found on FirstEnergy’s YouTube channel.
Since the beginning of the year, contractors have trimmed trees along more than 100 miles of power lines across Toledo Edison’s service area. The company plans to complete an additional 1,850 miles of tree-trimming work by year-end. 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, stated, “Trees are a leading cause of power outages, and we complete 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 conducted on a four-year cycle. It includes inspecting vegetation near power lines to ensure trees are pruned in a way that preserves their health while maintaining safe clearances. Trees that pose a danger or are diseased may be removed.
This year's work is being conducted in several counties and communities including Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Lucas, Sandusky and Wood.
As part of its notification process, Toledo Edison works with municipalities to inform them about trimming schedules. Customers living in areas along company rights-of-way are also notified before vegetation management work commences.
The vegetation management work is conducted by certified forestry experts under the company’s direction, including Arbormetics Solutions, Jaflo Inc., Asplundh Tree Expert Company, Nelson Tree Service Inc. and Penn Line Service.
In addition to ground operations, helicopters equipped with aerial saws began trimming trees in March to maintain clearances along hard-to-access transmission and distribution corridors throughout Toledo Edison’s service area. 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.
Toledo Edison serves nearly 315,000 customers in northwest Ohio. Follow Toledo Edison on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ToledoEdison or on Facebook at facebook.com/ToledoEdison.
FirstEnergy is committed 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 firstenergycorp.com and on X @FirstEnergyCorp.