West Penn Power's 2021 Tree Trimming Program to Enhance Service Reliability

GREENSBURG, Pa., April 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- West Penn Power, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), continues to conduct tree trimming work in communities across its 24-county Pennsylvania service area as part of its ongoing efforts to help enhance service reliability. 

Maintaining proper clearances around electrical equipment can reduce the frequency and duration of tree-related power outages, especially those associated with severe weather such as spring and summer thunderstorms.

Since the beginning of the year, tree contractors have trimmed along 1,200 miles of electric lines in the West Penn Power service area as part of the $45 million vegetation management program for 2021. West Penn Power's program remains on track to complete an additional 3,600 miles of work by year end.

The tree trimming program includes inspecting vegetation near the lines to ensure trees are pruned in a manner that helps preserve the health of the tree, while also maintaining safety near electric facilities. Trees that present a danger or are diseased also may be removed. 

"Vegetation management along power lines helps keep the lights on for our customers and allows our line crews to more quickly restore service after storms," said John Rea, regional president of West Penn Power. "In 2020, we proactively removed more than 110,000 trees that could have damaged or interfered with our electric distribution lines, including nearly 20,000 deteriorated ash trees harmed or killed by the Emerald Ash Borer."

West Penn Power's tree program in 2021 includes about $3 million to remove about 20,000 dead and dying ash trees along distribution lines in western Pennsylvania. Crews have removed about 4,500 ash trees so far this year.

West Penn Power is scheduled in 2021 to trim trees along transmission lines and distribution circuits in the following counties:

• Adams – Carroll Valley, Hamiltonban Township and Liberty Township
• Allegheny – Brackenridge, Cheswick, Fawn Township, Elizabeth Township, Forward Township, Bethel Park, Upper St. Clair, South Fayette Township, Harmar Township, Harrison Township, Springdale Township, Springdale, Tarentum, Frazier Township, North Versailles Township, South Versailles Township and South Park Township
• Armstrong – Apollo, Freeport, Kiskiminetas Township, North Apollo, Parks Township, South Buffalo Township, North Buffalo Township, West Franklin Township, Madison Township,  Mahoning Township, Redbank Township, South Bethlehem, Washington Township, Bethel Township, Ford City, Kittanning, Kittanning Township, Manor Township, Pine Township, Rayburn Township, West Franklin Township, West Kittanning and Worthington
• Bedford – East Providence Township and Londonderry Township
• Butler – Buffalo Township, Clinton Township, Winfield Township, Brady Township, Butler, Butler Township, Center Township, Cherry Township, Clay Township, Clearfield Township, Marion Township, Slippery Rock Township, Summit Township, Worth Township and Middlesex Township
• Centre – Benner Township, Centre Hall, Ferguson Township, Gregg Township, Harris Township, Haines Township, Huston Township, Liberty Township, Miles Township, Patton Township, Penn Township, Potter Township, Spring Township, State College, Taylor Township, Union Township, Walker Township and Worth Township
• Clarion – Clarion, Clarion Township, Monroe Township, Hawthorn, Porter Township, New Bethlehem and Porter Township
• Clinton County – East Keating Township, Beech Creek, Beech Creek Township, Lamar Township and Porter Township
• Elk County – St. Marys, Fox Township, Benezette Township, Highland Township, Jay Township and Jones Township
• Fayette – Belle Vernon, Brownsville, Brownsville Township, Fayette City, Jefferson Township, Luzerne Township, Newell, Washington Township, Connellsville, Connellsville Township, Dunbar Township, Everson, Franklin Township, Jefferson Township, Lower Tyrone Township, Perry Township, Perryopolis, Upper Tyrone Township, Georges Township, German Township, Henry Clay Township, Masontown, Nicholson Township, Redstone Township, Springhill Township, Stewart Township and Wharton Township  
• Franklin – Hamilton Township, Letterkenny Township, Mercersburg, Montgomery Township, St. Thomas Township, Peters Township, Antrim Township, Chambersburg, Greencastle, Guilford Township, Greene Township, and Quincy Township
• Fulton – Ayr Township, Brush Creek Township, Bethel Township, Licking Creek Township, Dublin Township, McConnellsburg, Taylor Township, Todd Township, Union Township, Valley Hi and Wells Township
• Greene – Aleppo Township, Center Township, Cumberland Township, Franklin Township, Freeport Township, Gilmore Township, Jackson Township, Jefferson Township, Morgan Township, Morris Township, Perry Township, Richhill Township, Springhill Township, Washington Township, Wayne Township, Whiteley Township and Monongahela Township
• McKean County – Wetmore Township and Sergeant
• Potter County – Eulalia Township  
• Washington – Washington, Canonsburg, Cecil Township, Nottingham Township, Peters Township, Union Township, Allenport, California, Carroll Township, Centerville, Charleroi, Coal Center, Dunlevy, Elco, Fallowfield Township, Long Branch, Monongahela, New Eagle, North Charleroi, Roscoe, Speers, Stockdale, Twilight, West Brownsville, Amwell Township, Morris Township, North Bethlehem Township, West Bethlehem Township, Chartiers Township, Cross Creek Township, Hanover Township, Jefferson Township, McDonald, Mount Pleasant Township, Robinson Township, Smith Township, Blaine Township, Buffalo Township, Canton Township, Donegal Township, East Finley Township, East Washington Township, Hopewell Township, Houston, Independence Township, North Franklin Township, North Strabane Township, Somerset Township, South Franklin Township, South Strabane Township and West Finley Township  
• Westmoreland – Greensburg, Hempfield Township, Latrobe, Jeanette, Murrysville, Unity Township, Rostraver Township, Penn, New Stanton, Hunker, North Belle Vernon, Sewickley Township, Sutersville, Delmont, Scottdale, Bell Township, Lower Burrell, Washington Township, Derry, Derry Township, Arnold, Penn Township, Allegheny Township, East Huntingdon Township, South Huntingdon Township, North Huntingdon, Salem Township, Manor, Vandergrift, West Newton and Ligonier Township

As part of its notification process, West Penn Power works with municipalities to inform them of tree trimming schedules. In addition, customers living in areas along company rights-of-way also are notified prior to vegetation management work being done.

The vegetation management work is conducted by qualified line clearance arborists under the company's direction, including Asplundh Tree Expert Company, Jaflo Inc., Lewis Tree Service Inc., Penn Line Service Inc., Davey Tree Expert Company, and Townsend Tree.

West Penn Power serves approximately 725,000 customers in 24 counties within central and southwestern Pennsylvania. Follow West Penn Power on Twitter @W_Penn_Power and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WestPennPower.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,500 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions.

Editor's Note:  Photos of workers using bucket trucks to trim trees near FirstEnergy power lines are available for download on Flickr. A video explaining FirstEnergy's vegetation management techniques can also be found on YouTube.

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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.