Time to Kick It up a Notch

Time to Kick It up a Notch

Industry
by Derek Vannice

CN Utility Consulting (CNUC) Vice President of Operations Derek Vannice wrote an article titled Time to Kick It up a Notch. The article was published in the July/August issue of the Utility Arborist Newsline.

The Utility Arborist Research Fund (UARF) endowment was established over five years ago. We have had some success, but we still have a long way to go. We currently have more than $350,000 in the fund, and we have also been able to assist the Tree Fund in getting funds for a current research project that is now nearing completion. The UAA Research Committee has identified key areas that utilities feel are critical, by asking the following five questions:

1. What are failure probability levels over time of seemingly healthy trees (few defects) compared to trees with various observable defect levels?

2. What is the relative potential for various types of contacts between trees and energized conductors to ignite wildfires?

3. What distribution system construction alternatives are most resistant to failure caused by trees?

4. What are the long- and short-term benefits, values, and hazards associated with different methods of line clearance pruning?

5. Does crown asymmetry resulting from line clearance pruning create elevated failure risk?

By looking at these areas, it is clear to see that information obtained by conducting research would have a huge financial impact on how and why we do what we do. The research committee can get research projects established in these areas but not without funding.

Help us to move forward on these projects by donating to the TREE Fund and direct your funds to the UARF. You can donate to the endowment for the long term or donate for a specific research project in the short term. Item one on the list is the next research project that needs funding.

We need your help! We would like to reach the $500,000 mark in the UARF by the end of this year. We can do it and there are all sorts of ways we can get there!

Contact Janet Bornancin at the TREE Fund to make your company donation now. If you would like some assistance in talking with your company about providing a donation, we would be glad to help.

To read the published article, click here.

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