Trends in North American UVM Trends in North American Utility Vegetation Management (UVM) William Porter Principal Author of CN Utility Consulting Utility Vegetation Management Benchmark & Industry Intelligence (2010)

Trends in North American UVM Overview Some Metrics We Are Covering Today: I. Snapshot of North American Utilities II. UVM Program Drivers III. Cycles and Scheduling Methodology IV. Clearance Requirements V. UVM Methods VI. Production VII. Customer Issues VIII. Reliability IX. Regulations X. Conclusion

Introduction I.Basic Trend In North American UVM: Right Tree-Right Place II.CNUC Objective: Discover Industry Best Management Practices (BMPs)

Introduction

SNAPSHOT OF NORTH AMERICAN UTILITIES Company Type

SNAPSHOT OF NORTH AMERICAN UTILITIES Utility Type

SNAPSHOT OF NORTH AMERICAN UTILITIES Service Territory

SNAPSHOT OF NORTH AMERICAN UTILITIES Service Territory Description – Customer Density

SNAPSHOT OF NORTH AMERICAN UTILITIES Overhead System Circuit Kilometres

SNAPSHOT OF NORTH AMERICAN UTILITIES Overhead System Span Kilometres

SNAPSHOT OF NORTH AMERICAN UTILITIES Tree Population

UVM PROGRAM DRIVERS The Most Important Program Driver Is at the Top of the Graph

CYCLES AND SCHEDULING METHODOLOGY Cycle Definitions

CYCLES AND SCHEDULING METHODOLOGY Cycle Lengths

CYCLES AND SCHEDULING METHODOLOGY Cycle Scheduling Methodology

CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS California’s Clearance Requirements GO 95 Rule 35: California has the most comprehensive UVM regulation in North America Comments made by utilities with requirements: This enhances cycle times. They are our major negotiating tool for obtaining what is proper clearance. Clearance requirements set clear expectations and assist with funding requests.

CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS Mandatory Clearance Requirements Opinions are Changing

CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS Do They Work? Companies Were Asked, “ Could You Achieve 100% Compliance with a Mandatory Clearance Requirement?”

UVM METHODS Crew Type

UVM METHODS Herbicide Usage

UVM METHODS Special Programs Included in Routine Maintenance

PRODUCTION Cost per System Span Kilometre

PRODUCTION Relative Efficiency

CUSTOMER ISSUES UVM Inquiries per Year

CUSTOMER ISSUES UVM Complaints per Year

CUSTOMER ISSUES Perceived Customer Disconnect Commentary by Utilities: Customer equates aesthetics with proper tree pruning, not aware of utility best management practices for line clearance. Although it is getting better, customer expectations are often not in sync with safety and reliability requirements.

CUSTOMER ISSUES UVM Problem Solving That Requires the Most Time Ranked the Fifth Activity Out of 40 That Requires the Most Problem Solving Customer Relations Ranks Tenth

RELIABILITY Causes for Outages

RELIABILITY US Reliability Metrics SAIDI = SAIFI = CAIDI =

RELIABILITY Frequency of Outages Caused by Trees

LAWS AND REGULATIONS FAC

LAWS AND REGULATIONS Increase in Activities Due to Federal Regulations

CONCLUSION Measuring Progress This Graph Only Includes Companies with an Established Hazard Tree Removal Program Relatively High Correlation of Which Means: The More Trees Removed, The Better The Reliability (In other words: SAIFI is Reduced)

CONCLUSION BMPs and Regulations for Right Tree in The Right Place 1.Clear Concept of Cycle Based Scheduling or a Replacement for Cycle Scheduling. 2.Cost Effective and Standardized Method of Tree Inventory/ Work Load Assessment. 3.Capture and Disseminate Research and Development Results. 4.Address the Customer Complaints Proactively, Recognizing the Political Force of an Insignificant Number of Complaints. 5.Keep Open and Debate the Concept of Mandatory Clearance Distances.