tree trimmingaround power linesWhat you should know about our vegetation management program

FirstEnergy also promotes the practice of planting the right tree in the right place. Planting low-growing varieties helps eliminate the need for future branch pruning or tree removal.

For additional information about FirstEnergy’s vegetation management programs, or advice on planting compatible vegetation near power lines, go to www.firstenergycorp.com. Click on Our Electric Companies and select Jersey Central Power & Light. Then click on “Safety” and look for “Maintaining Trees Near Power Lines” or “How to Select the Right Tree Location”. Or, call our Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-800-662-3115.

While these tree-care programs represent a significant investment, they are necessary to help ensure electric service reliability. We appreciate your understanding.

COMM5870-08-11-AI-AP

Typically, “directional pruning” is employed to keep trees away from distribution lines. This technique is the accepted industry standard and is promoted by the National Arbor Day Foundation and the International Society of Arboriculture.

Directional pruning is visually different from other techniques used in the past – such as topping or rounding – and is better for the health of the tree because it only targets those branches that grow near or could interfere with the electrical equipment.

However, when a tree cannot be pruned effectively without significantly impacting its health or shape, it is removed.

Unless permission is obtained from the property owner to leave the trimmings or cut vegetation, we will remove all trimmings and cut vegetation – that are part of our regular maintenance cycle – within five business days after the vegetation was cut. Generally, our crews do not remove the stumps or roots of trees.

In the electric utility industry, trees are a leading cause of power outages. FirstEnergy’s operating companies – including Jersey Central Power & Light – have developed an award-winning tree-care maintenance program that combines the best practices of certified arborists and foresters to keep vegetation away from power lines and other electric equipment.

We recognize the sensitivity of our customers and communities to this important aspect of our reliability improvement initiative, and we appreciate your support.

We maintain nearly 12,000 miles of distribution lines through our New Jersey neighborhoods, trimming thousands of trees each year. However, when it comes to maintaining the more than 2,700 miles of high-voltage transmission lines in New Jersey, it is a regulatory requirement and our practice to remove rather than prune trees on our right-of-way identified as potential threats to the reliability of our system. In any areas near distribution or transmission lines, it is important that there should not be any vegetation that can cause power outages.

While this vegetation management work is our single biggest cost of doing business, it is essential to providing safe and reliable service. And these efforts are paying off. Since 2003, the average duration of tree-related outages in our New Jersey service area has decreased by 24 percent.

At least once every four years, FirstEnergy’s line clearance experts inspect the distribution lines in our neighborhoods. Plans are developed, customers are notified and the work is done by certified tree contractors. Before Pruning After Pruning

tree trimmingaround power linesWhat you should know about our vegetation management program

FirstEnergy also promotes the practice of planting the right tree in the right place. Planting low-growing varieties helps eliminate the need for future branch pruning or tree removal.

For additional information about FirstEnergy’s vegetation management programs, or advice on planting compatible vegetation near power lines, go to www.firstenergycorp.com. Click on Our Electric Companies and select Jersey Central Power & Light. Then click on “Safety” and look for “Maintaining Trees Near Power Lines” or “How to Select the Right Tree Location”. Or, call our Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-800-662-3115.

While these tree-care programs represent a significant investment, they are necessary to help ensure electric service reliability. We appreciate your understanding.

COMM5870-08-11-AI-AP