Right-Of-Way Program
Safe, reliable and affordable electric service
For the past several years, Crawford Electric has promoted a proactive right-of-way program as one way to fulfill the  co-op's mission of providing safe, reliable and cost-effective electric service to over 18,000 meters on more than 3,200 miles of power line. A certified forester directs our ROW program. Our practices and procedures are endorsed by the National Arbor Day Foundation with its Tree Line USA utility designation. We're also part of Project Habitat, a wildlife habitat enhancement program that works in concert with our integrated vegetation management (low-volume herbicide) practices.
Basic Steps
Crawford Electric's members and line crews are best served by a well-planned, comprehensive and proactive approach to maintaining the co-op's rights of way. System reliability and member satisfaction are enhanced by reducing the frequency and duration of power outages caused by trees in the lines. Clear rights of way are essential for line worker and member safety. Our crews use several methods to keep trees and brush under control, including brush hogging and trimming along the edge of the ROW. In some cases, an environmentally safe herbicide may be used to selectively eliminate the woody plants and leave the grasses and wildflowers that are valuable to wildlife. Sometimes, removal of problem trees within the utility easement is the only solution.
The Next Level
The long-term benefits of an integrated vegetation management (IVM) approach to right-of-way maintenance are many. This approach produces end results that enhance the biodiversity and natural environment of the ROW. Woody thickets restrict a utility crew's access for line repair and maintenance and support fewer species of wildlife than do open corridors of low-growing, succulent broadleaf plants. A ROW of low-growing annual and perennial forbs, grasses and legumes offers utility crews unrestricted access to the utility lines. An additional benefit is that this type of habitat offers several benefits to wildlife, including food sources, travel corridors and nesting sites. A demonstration planting on the co-op grounds shows desirable species for a utility right of way (low-growing, non-woody plants that help keep undesirables from regrowing in a ROW). This test site was developed in partnership with the Missouri Department of Conservation's Grow Native program. Check out the Native Landscape here.
The right tree in the right place
Mature size must be considered before planting trees around your property. Saplings will grow according to species tendencies, many quickly outgrowing their location. Trees that will grow taller than 25 feet must be planted outside the 30-foot-wide utility right of way. Check with the co-op or your nursery for additional species recommendations.
Trees that grow large and are near power lines create a potential safety hazard. Accidents can happen if children climb trees and touch a limb in contact with an energized wire or the wire itself. The result can be severe injury or death.
Trees around power lines also can cause blinking lights or power outages. Finding and fixing line problems in over-grown utility easements is more time consuming and dangerous for line workers.
These problems are unacceptable. The utility right of way must be maintained to ensure the safe, reliable delivery of electric power to you and your neighbors.
New Construction ROW clearing policy
For new construction, the person requesting electric service must provide a cleared right of way before power line construction will begin. See the Overhead Right-Of-Way Clearance Specifications for more details. |
