Related News
Related News
-
National Preparedness Month: Older adults take control in 1, 2, 3
We know older adults can face greater risks when it comes to the extreme weather events and emergencies we face, especially if they are living alone, are low-income, have a disability, depend on electricity for medical needs, or live in rural areas.
Find Out More -
Women in STEM: EWEB Engineer Laura Ohman's second degree brings a lifetime of benefits
EWEB Engineer Laura Ohman shares how getting her second degree was one of the most difficult and rewarding things she's ever accomplished.
Find Out More -
Planning for a Future of Reliable, Affordable, Environmentally Responsible Energy
The challenges revealed by Eugene Water & Electric Board’s integrated resource planning process mirror those facing the Northwest.
Find Out More -
Bethel neighbors boost emergency preparedness during Emergency Water Station event
Staff gave out about 300 emergency water containers to enthusiastic community members eager to learn more about the water station.
Find Out More -
EWEB’s heat driven call to conserve energy yields major savings
EWEB is likely to implement similar, formalized “demand response” programs in the future.
Find Out More -
Please join your neighbors in reducing energy use today
With excessive temperatures and wildfire conditions affecting power generation across the region, EWEB is encouraging customers to safely conserve power.
Find Out More -
Stay cool during extreme heat events
With temperatures forecasted to reach over 100 degrees over the next several days, we've prepared some tips and tricks to help you stay cool.
Find Out More -
Women in STEM: Meet our servant leader and maker of tough decisions
Karen Kelley, Chief Operations Officer at EWEB, describes herself as a "servant leader," offering support and mentoring to four division managers at EWEB.
Find Out More -
Planning for a Reliable, Affordable, Green Energy Future
EWEB General Manager Frank Lawson publishes an op-ed in the Eugene Weekly about EWEB's IRP.
Find Out More -
Women in STEM: Meet the woman responsible for managing our wholesale energy agreements to ensure we meet our customers energy needs
Megan Capper, the Energy Resource Manager at EWEB, began her career working in economics at BPA before joining the power planning department EWEB, ensuring we can meet the energy needs of our our customers today, tomorrow and 20 years from now.
Find Out More -
EWEB establishes multipronged resiliency policy
Disaster recovery and prevention are being embedded in all operations and processes.
Find Out More -
Substations – The resilient spine of EWEB’s electric system
The substation redundancy ensures reliable power continues to flow to homes and businesses despite unexpected equipment failures and routine maintenance.
Find Out More -
EWEB charts energy supply choices for next 2-3 years
After 18 months of study to assess Eugene’s future electricity needs, EWEB has identified next steps to pursue in the next two to three years.
Find Out More -
Women in STEM: Meet the water quality specialist who ensures the safety of Eugene's drinking water
Brenda Casarez began working at EWEB in 2009, collecting samples from all over the water system testing for different contaminants.
Find Out More -
Wildfire season is here – tips and safety precautions
Temperatures are heating up with weather forecasts anticipating temperatures up to 99 degrees in Eugene and the surrounding areas on the 4th of July.
Find Out More - Show More
EWEB tree crews take care to avoid disturbing wildlife
April 13, 2023 • Rachael McDonald, EWEB Communications
It’s spring-- the time of year when birds are nesting in our trees. EWEB crews take special care to avoid disrupting birds when they’re trimming trees. But tree trimming is a necessary part of delivering safe and reliable power. We went out with a crew to find out how it's done.
Bailey Gleason is a utility forester with EWEB’s Vegetation Management team. Near a church in Eugene’s Bethel neighborhood, crews with West Lane Tree Service remove small branches that are close to an EWEB power pole.
“So right now we’re pruning a deodar Cedar. They’re just looking to do a little light pruning on it,” Gleason said. “It’s got about 4 to 5 feet of clearance right now from the primary conductors and we’re looking to trim that back to an 8 to 10 feet range and keep it held over until we can come back and do our inspections again in 2 1/2 years.”
Gleason said pruning helps maintain reliable power to EWEB customers across more than 700-line miles . We proactively prune trees, branches and shrubs to make sure they don't come in contact with power lines during high wind, snow or ice events. Proactive pruning reduces the risk of power outages and fire ignition from branches falling on lines.
“Usually, we’re looking for about 8 to 10, 10 to 12 feet of clearance around the primary conductors, so the highest lines up on the pole and the reason we’re doing that is just to keep safe and reliable power to customers,” said Gleason. “Anytime those branches come into contact with the lines it can create an outage and then we’ll have to send crews out after hours.”
Gleason said they keep the health of the trees and wildlife in mind when scheduling tree-trimming.
“We have a crew that comes up and if they spot a nest in the tree, we always have them hold off on that work until after nesting season just so we’re not disrupting them or the homeowners as well,” said Gleason. “We don’t want to make anybody unhappy.”
Removing branches is a routine part of vegetation management for EWEB. The Vegetation Department has a map of the all the lines and a schedule for trimming and maintaining proper clearance of trees around power poles and lines. But there are times when it’s necessary to take out a tree.
“We’re always looking out for danger trees or hazard trees that need to be removed and this includes dead trees, trees with rot, excessive lean, inclusions, or any boring wood insects that could cause the tree to decay or decline and potentially fall on the lines and take out the power,” Gleason said. “That’s something we’re looking for year-round, 24-7.”
When tree trimming or removal is planned in your neighborhood, EWEB will give you the head’s up. If you’re concerned about a tree trimming project, or think trees need attention, you can contact EWEB.
“If you have any concerns about trees on your property that have EWEB lines around them. Don’t hesitate to contact us. We’ll come out and take a look and do an assessment of the property and the lines and see what we can’t do to help you.” said Gleason.