New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) and Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E) announced Tuesday that they invested more than $90 million in vegetation management in 2024, aiming to improve electric reliability across the state.
The comprehensive effort, which included the trimming and removal of trees near utility lines, targeted more than 62,000 miles of distribution and transmission lines. According to the companies, trees are the number one cause of power interruptions, responsible for nearly half of all outages.
“A robust and agile vegetation management program is one of the most important ways to ensure safe and reliable delivery of electric service to our customers,” said Ashley Wein, manager of Vegetation Management for NYSEG and RG&E. “We work hard with our communities to combine safety, best practices, and environmental responsibility.”
Over 12,000 Danger Trees Removed
In 2024, NYSEG and RG&E identified and removed more than 12,000 so-called “danger trees,” including dead and dying ash trees that posed risks to infrastructure. These efforts were guided by industry standards from the American National Standards Institute and Tree Care Industry Association.
Structured Six-Year Cycle
The $90 million investment supports a six-year cycle trim program designed to proactively manage vegetation threats before they impact the grid. Since 2017, the New York State Public Service Commission has approved nearly triple the investment in vegetation management due to its direct impact on service reliability.
Safety and Collaboration at the Forefront
Crews work closely with homeowners and landowners to identify and mitigate tree-related risks before storms strike. While many efforts occur in visible areas around distribution lines, the companies also maintain thousands of miles of remote transmission corridors vital to statewide grid performance.
NYSEG and RG&E reminded customers to stay alert near roadside utility work zones and urged caution around crews operating near high-voltage lines.
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