Trimming Trees, Powering Reliability
CoServ’s Vegetation Management program ensures all overhead powerlines are clear of branches and other vegetation that could affect reliability – even in places where bucket trucks can’t reach.
In situations where power lines run through a backyard or a heavily wooded area, CoServ calls in special contractor crews who trim trees the old-fashioned way – by climbing.
“This is what we call an easement crew, or inaccessible crew,” said Robert Muniz, owner of Whitmire Line Clearance. “They do all the work that trucks generally don’t have access to. We climb and do the work manually instead of using a bucket.”
First, crews have to secure the climbing rope to the tree. They do that by either tossing a weighted ball through a crux in the tree or by climbing a ladder and anchoring the rope there. Then, they use a pulley system to safely ascend the tree with a tree trimmer and miniature chainsaw.
CoServ has a comprehensive vegetation management program where every power line easement is on a three-year rotation, Robert said. This is a huge factor in CoServ’s reliability score, among the best in Texas.
Whether it’s from an ice storm or thunderstorm, tree limbs coming in contact with power lines are some of the most common causes for outages, said Morgan Herd, Vegetation Management Supervisor. CoServ has about a dozen contractor crews working throughout the service area at any given time to keep the easements clear.
“CoServ’s vegetation management program is proactive, so when a big storm comes through, the Members’ power stays on without them having to think much about it,” Morgan said. “We want to be as prepared as we can be for everything Mother Nature throws at us.”
Utilities measure reliability with the System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI). In 2024, CoServ posted the best reliability score in the history of the co-op at 22.6, meaning the average Member was without power for less than 23 minutes. Or put another way, Members had power 99.99% of the time in 2024.
Look for CoServ’s 2025 reliability score in the April edition of Texas Co-op Power magazine.