Orange & Rockland Wins National Tree Care Honors
For the 23rd year in a row, The Arbor Day Foundation has named Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. (O&R) a “Tree Line USA Utility” in recognition of O&R’s national leadership in caring for trees while meeting electric and natural gas delivery service objectives for resiliency and reliability.
O&R manages vegetation along 3,800 miles of primary electric distribution and 475 miles of electric transmission in parts of New York and New Jersey. Included in the program is vegetation control to protect its electric substations and related facilities.
O&R’s Manager of Vegetation Management Mark Beamish, a certified arborist, who plays a substantial role in the development and management of the vegetation program, said, “Tree pruning is an integral part of keeping outages to a minimum and making storm restoration more efficient by managing the growth and maintenance of a healthier, more storm-resistant tree stock.”
Click HERE to see O&R’s contractors in action.
A tree-trimming contractor from Nelson Tree Service takes steps to protect O&R electric lines from damage.
O&R makes a concerted effort to meet Tree Line USA requirements by training its workers in quality tree-care practices and by helping its customers select appropriate trees to plant near utility lines. That approach not only helps to provide beautiful trees for the future, but also long-term operational savings for the company.
O&R’s four-year distribution system tree-trimming cycle and its three-year transmission system cycle prune an estimated 225,000 trees per year and are credited with mitigating tree-related electric power outages. Tree contact is the primary cause of electric service interruptions in O&R’s heavily wooded 1,350 square-mile service area.
O&R’s Vice President – Operations Won Choe said, “O&R’s vegetation management program makes a vital contribution to our storm hardening efforts to protect the electric system from storm damage. The combination of tree-trimming and hazardous tree removal programs creates solid support for the stronger poles and wires we are installing to further fortify the electric system.”
About Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc.
Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. (O&R) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc. (Con Edison) (NYSE: ED), one of the nation’s largest investor-owned energy companies. Orange and Rockland Utilities is a regulated electric and gas utility that serves approximately 230,000 electric customers and about 142,000 natural gas customers in New York. O&R’s subsidiary, Rockland Electric Company, provides electric service to approximately 73,000 customers in northern New Jersey.