Faces, Places & Voices Of PVREA: Your Vegetation Management Professionals

Meet your cooperative’s dedicated vegetation management team and learn their role in ensuring safety and reliability.

When asked what he does, PVREA tree trimmer Scott said: “We help prevent trees and other vegetation from falling on our equipment.”

That oversimplifies the impact of these vegetation management professionals on our members.

“Some people rely on our energy for health reasons or to keep warm,” Scott said. “Some people don’t have other places to run to or the means to go somewhere else, so keeping the power on helps keep them safely in their homes.”

“It’s a very real fact that we remove hazard trees and prevent outages that keeps me coming back every day,” Tim, tree trimmer foreman, said. “There’s no doubt that what we do is tangible and beneficial.”

“I am very fortunate to have two great guys who have good attitudes about what we do,” Tim said. “What we do is not pretty or glamorous. It’s tough work, and their attitude makes it easier.”

Safety is paramount while they work. Proximity to high-voltage power lines requires the crew to use special safety precautions, training, and tools.

“It is learning what to do and when to do it,” Dan, apprentice tree trimmer, said. “Safely removing a hazard tree means considering the desired fall direction, if it’s dead or alive, where it’s leaning, the slope, time of year, moisture, basically everything.”

Dan also said personal relationship with members are crucial.

“That’s why I give 110%. You have to look at every job as if it were your house. If that was my house and someone was coming to do a job, I’d want them to do it right. You know, treat it like it’s your own — that’s the cooperative difference.”

All three men discussed this cooperative approach, emphasizing that personal touches distinguish PVREA from larger utility companies.

Education is another key component of what the tree trimming crew does daily. Their work alongside line crews and other PVREA personnel allows them to learn more about electrical safety and the energy industry.

In turn, they educate fellow teammates, members, and community partners about tree management best practices to address immediate concerns and prevent future issues to enhance community safety.

“The whole magic of electricity is often lost on a lot of people,” Tim said. “But once you have a tree bigger than a 35-foot pole, it’s a good visual to get people to stop and think about how they get electricity and how trees can impact that.”

Your co-op’s vegetation management team also stressed the importance of their work to mitigate wildfire risk and advised members on how to help.

How You Can Help

Report suspected issues if you see vegetation encroaching on our rights of way or dead trees near power lines.

Help crews access our rights of way to perform maintenance and preventative work. Your support directly enhances our system’s resiliency and protects the safe, reliable delivery of power to you and your neighbors.

Please read our online resources to understand what vegetation species to select and where to plant them so they minimally impact our system infrastructure.

Visit our tree trimming requests page for resources, requests, and other related information.