Our primary goal is to provide our members with safe and reliable electric service, but outages are impossible to avoid. Electrical outages that affect our members occur for a variety of reasons such as power supply issues to our substations, animal contact, vehicle accidents, and storms. But trees are the leading cause of outages on Claverack's system - often dead or dying ash trees located outside of our maintained rights of way.
Claverack is committed to doing all we can to minimize the effects of trees on our power lines, and we have compiled the resources below to help our members understand our process and plans.
IMPORTANT: If you come upon a downed line or a tree that is directly in contact with one of our power lines, stay as far away as possible (Claverack recommends at least 50 feet) and secure the area. It is important that you contact us immediately by calling 1-800-326-9799. NO ONE - except Claverack REC linemen - should ever attempt to remove a tree from a line, even if you suspect the line may not be energized.
The volume of ash trees in our service territory is incredibly high, and our approach is to strategically remove as many ash trees as possible during our routine right-of-way maintenance activities. We have recently updated our management plan from a 7-year cycle to a 5-year cycle with removal programs occurring in an additional three substations each year for the next two years. At any given time, we will have crews in at least four substation areas working to improve reliability by removing hazardous trees.
It will take us time to move through the system, but this systematic, targeted approach will help us maintain reliability and keep costs down.
Please note: it is the member's responsibility to trim trees located near the service line - the wires from the transformer pole that feed power to your building or pole. (See the graphic below.) If a tree located in this area is of concern to you, please contact a certified/licensed tree removal contractor. If the contractor feels that the tree has the potential of falling on the line during the removal process, please contact our office to schedule a time for our linemen to disconnect the wire so that removal efforts can be as safe as possible.
The AARC rider is a temporary charge that will appear on members’ electric bills from Jan. 1, 2023, through Dec. 31, 2024. The $5 monthly charge will be utilized to enhance our vegetation management efforts to remove danger trees located outside of our maintained rights of way, particularly dead and dying ash trees impacted by the emerald ash borer. The revenue generated by the charge will help improve reliability for all Claverack members.
The graph below shows the monthly progress of the vegetation management efforts as a result of the temporary AARC rider. During 2023, over 19,000 trees were removed. Please check back each month to follow our progress.
Over the next several years, Claverack’s plan is to move through the majority of our system and remove hazardous trees that are inside and adjacent to our rights of way. There may be trees that we are not able to remove due to ground conditions, however, our hope is that we will remove or mitigate over 90% of the hazard trees on our system. Once complete, our efforts will result in an overall safer and more reliable system.
We ask that you allow our crews access to these areas and help facilitate their speedy travel along corridors and across properties
Some signs of our presence will be left behind after the maintenance work.
The equipment we use often leaves marks on the ground and the vegetation. We make every effort to tread lightly and avoid leaving ruts, but sometimes a site that seems accessible will turn out to be soft. If there are excessive disturbances like deep ruts that cause drainage issues or other material that disrupts the normal use of your property, we will work with you to resolve those issues.
With routine right-of-way pruning and trimming, small branches may be chipped, but anything that is too large to be run through a chipper will be left on-site.
Due to the timeframe of our accelerated vegetation management efforts and the location of the work, crews will make every effort to keep the area neat and clean, but they are tasked with strictly the removal aspect. Any ash tree (or tree deemed dangerous) will be left where it was dropped and no material will be hauled away from these areas.
When planting trees, please look up. Power lines and vegetation do not mix. So if your tree has the potential to contact the lines, it will need to be trimmed or removed at some point. Our crews need to have clear access to the lines and poles at all times. Trees under and in power lines can make their work difficult and dangerous and cause further delays during outage situations. If trees are marked for removal or trimming, it is because they present a liability to us to provide safe and reliable energy.
Please click here for detailed information regarding the use of herbicides on Claverack rights of way.
IMPORTANT: If you come upon a downed line or a tree that is directly in contact with one of our power lines, stay as far away as possible (Claverack recommends at least 50 feet) and secure the area. It is important that you contact us immediately by calling 1-800-326-9799. NO ONE - except Claverack REC linemen - should ever attempt to remove a tree from a line, even if you suspect the line may not be energized.
If you see a tree that has the potential of coming in contact with or falling onto an electric line, please call our office. Our Right of Way Program Manager will note the location. A strategic approach will be used to determine when a crew will be sent to that area to remove the tree. Due to the sheer volume of danger trees located across our service area, we may not be able to respond quickly, so we ask for members' patience and understanding.
When tree crews arrive in your area to perform either routine or danger tree removal efforts, please allow crews to access the areas of your property.
Nothing should be placed directly under or within 20 feet of either side of a Claverack line. This includes: trees, shrubs, vegetation, structures or other obstructions.
Click here for a quick video to help you with your next tree planting project.
And here are just a few graphics to help, too!
Click here to see where crews are currently working.