Steven Henshaw: Met-Ed working on tree-trimming in Berks County and nearby

Steven Henshaw, Reading Eagle, Pa.
·2 min read

May 5—Met-Ed, the biggest power supplier in Berks County, continues to conduct tree-trimming work in Berks and other communities across its eastern Pennsylvania service area as part of its ongoing efforts to help enhance electric service reliability, the company said Thursday.

Since the beginning of the year, tree contractors have trimmed along about 500 miles of

power lines in the Met-Ed area as part of the company's $30 million vegetation management

program for 2022, according to a FirstEnergy Corp. press release.

FirstEnergy is the parent company of Met-Ed.

Maintaining greater clearances around electrical equipment can help reduce the frequency and duration of tree-related power outages, especially those associated with severe weather, officials said.

The work includes inspecting vegetation near the lines to ensure trees are pruned in a manner that helps preserve the health of the tree while also maintaining safety near electric facilities. Trees that present a danger or are diseased also may be removed.

"Trimming trees around power lines is critical to providing safe, reliable electric service

for our customers," said Scott Wyman, president of FirstEnergy's Pennsylvania operations.

"Tree trimming coupled with upgrades to our electric distribution system makes a difference. In

2021, 8 percent fewer customers experienced a service interruption per tree-related outage

than in 2020."

In the Tri-County area, Met-Ed is scheduled to trim trees along power lines in the following municipalities:

—Berks: Bethel, Cumru, Exeter, and Muhlenberg townships; Hamburg, Leesport, Lenhartsville, Reading, Shillington, West Reading and Wyomissing. The work will take in contiguous postal areas of New Tripoli, Lynnville and New Smithville in western Lehigh County.

—Chester: Warwick Township, which is along Route 23 east of Elverson.

As part of its notification process, Met-Ed works with municipalities to inform them of

tree-trimming schedules. In addition, customers living in areas along company rights of way are

notified prior to vegetation management work being done.

The vegetation management work is conducted by certified forestry experts under the company's direction, including Aerial Solutions, Asplundh Tree Expert Co., Davey Tree Expert Co., Lewis Tree Service, Nelson Tree Service Inc., Rotor Blade, Treesmiths and York Tree Service Inc.