Each year, REC's Vegetation Management team and contractors play a critical role in improving reliability for our members.
They remove more than 20,000 hazard trees each year and clear more than 1,500 miles of rights-of-away—all in an effort to prevent or reduce the likelihood of a power outage and improve reliability.
But their dedication goes way beyond trimming trees. Each year, they work with communities and local groups to give away and plant dozens of new trees. All the while, they also work to earn new certifications and skills that ensure they are performing at the highest level for REC member-owners.
For the 23rd consecutive year, this dedication and commitment has earned prestigious recognition from the National Arbor Day Foundation. REC has once again been designated as a Tree Line USA utility, which recognizes the Cooperative’s commitment to best practices in protecting and enhancing forestry.
“This designation demonstrates how trees and utilities can coexist for the benefit of communities and citizens,” Delaney Long with the Virginia Department of Forestry explained in presenting the award to Jacoby Lipscomb, an REC Forester, at an Arbor Day tree planting event in Madison County.
“At REC, our Vegetation Management team sets the bar for utilities across the country in terms of best practices for pruning, the use of technology and also our commitment to continuing education—not only for our own foresters and contractors, but also for the communities we serve,” said Cindy Devlin Musick, Senior Director of Vegetation Management Services. “The Tree Line USA designation is a true honor.”
