Asplundh Tree Expert Company: Tree Magazine

Trees & Utilities Conference 2002

Asplundh's Community Forester for Puget Sound Energy (PSE) Jim Trainer (center) displays the Tree Line USA certificate that PSE Project Manager Tina Melton (right) accepted on behalf of her utility from the National Arbor Day Foundation President John Rosenow at the Trees & Utilities Conference in February. Laura Hawpe (left) from the National Tree Trust (NTT) joined with Jim and Tina for a photo of the occasion. The NTT is a major provider of trees for PSE's community forestry program.

Trees and power lines are both very important to our communities and both are integral parts of our vegetation management business. At the annual Trees & Utilities Conference in Nebraska City, Nebraska, Asplundh joins with the nation's leading experts in utility arboriculture and urban forestry to discuss ways to promote healthy trees and reliable power.
Sponsored by the National Arbor Day Foundation (NADF), the conference also provides a backdrop for publicly recognizing utilities that meet requirements for the
Tree Line USA designation. This year, the award was bestowed upon 82 utilities, the vast majority of which employ Asplundh tree crews, we are proud to say! These utilities are recognized for their support of regular training for tree workers, public education and tree planting in their communities, and utilization of proper pruning practices.

Community Forestry Spotlighted

In addition to sending several attendees and sponsoring one of the breakfasts, Asplundh was proud to share a role with Puget Sound Energy (PSE) in a presentation of its Community Forestry Program on the first day of the three-day conference. Asplundh's Community Forester for PSE Jim Trainer of the Mick Kavran Region in Washington joined with PSE Project Manager Tina Melton to describe their low-cost, high-impact community forestry program.
Two years ago, PSE got started by establishing a 5,000 seedling nursery at one of their service centers. Jim obtained the trees through a grant process from the National Tree Trust in Washington, DC. By developing partnerships with local and state governments, schools and businesses, PSE and Asplundh have worked together to establish several nurseries to support tree planting projects throughout the utility's 10-county service territory. By the end of 2002, they expect to have 10 nurseries in various parts of the state and the program will have distributed over 200,000 trees since its inception.

Soon there will be 10 nurseries throughout the PSE service territory providing low or no cost trees for mitigation, replacement or environmental projects, like this one for the Gorst Creek Salmon Recovery Project. Forestry Manager Bill McKinney from the City of Bremerton stands next to a native plant salvage nursery that PSE supported and Asplundh coordinated.

Jim enlists a wide array of community and industry resources to accomplish nursery establishment, maintenance and tree plantings like this one at the Gorst Creek Restoration Project. Despite the pouring rain and December cold, dozens of volunteers planted approximately 5,000 native trees, some salvaged from paper companies, parks and nurseries. This not only keeps costs down, but also strengthens utility/community relationships. PSE's Community Forestry program is gaining notoriety for this reason.

Coordinating volunteers to plant trees and to maintain them in their nurseries is another critical aspect of the program. Tina and Jim have worked hard to develop positive relationships with schools, community agencies, service groups and conservation organizations throughout western Washington to accomplish this work. Fortunately, there is an ample supply of wood chips from Asplundh operations with which to mulch the seedlings!
In working with partners and volunteers to plant trees in their communities and restore natural habitats, PSE and Asplundh have created a strong network of supporters for the utility's vegetation management program. These relationships take time, but reap huge rewards for PSE and Asplundh.

Congratulations To This Year's Tree/Line USA Utilities
Let's Keep Up The Good Tree Work!

Alabama Power Co.
Alabama (2 years)

Alliant Energy
Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin (4 years)

Ameren
Illinois, Missouri (3 years)

Arizona Public Service
Arizona (6 years)

Austin Energy
Texas (1st year)

Baltimore Gas & Electric
Maryland (1st year)

Benton Public Utility District
Washington (3 years)

Brigham City Light & Power
Utah (2 years)

Bristol Electric System
Tennessee (3 years)

Central Power & Light Company
Texas (5 years)

Chicopee Electric Light
Massachusetts (1st year)

Chugach Electric Association
Alaska (3 years)

City of Alexandria
Louisiana (2 years)

City of Batavia Municipal Electric Utility
Illinois (5 years)

City of Forest Grove Electric
Oregon (1st year)

City of Redding Electric Utility
California (8 years)

City of Stoughton Electric
Wisconsin (1st year)

City of Westerville Electric Division
Ohio (4 years)

City Public Service of San Antonio
Texas (1st year)

City Utilities of Springfield
Missouri (8 years)

City Water, Light & Power
Illinois (2 years)

Clark Public Utilities
Washington (3 years)

Cleveland Utilities
Tennessee (2 years)

Colorado Springs Utilities
Colorado (7 years)

Columbia Water & Light
Missouri (5 years)

ComEd
Illinois (3 years)

Conectiv
Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia (3 years)

Consumers Power
Oregon (4 years)

Cuivre River Electric Cooperative
Missouri (1st year)

Cuyahoga Falls Electric Dept.
Ohio (2 years)

Detroit Edison
Michigan (7 years)

Duquesne Light Company
Pennsylvania (4 years)

Dyersburg Electric System
Tennessee (3 years)

Edmond Electric
Oklahoma (2 years)

Entergy
Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas (1st year)

First Energy
Ohio, Pennsylvania (4 years)

Gaffney Board of Public Works
South Carolina (3 years)

Gainesville Regional Utilities
Florida (3 years)

Idaho Power Company
Idaho, Nevada, Oregon (6 years)

Illinois Power Company
Illinois (2 years)

Independence Power & Light
Missouri (3 years)

Knoxville Utilities Board
Tennessee (1st year)

Lakeland Electric
Florida (2 years)

Long Island Power Authority
New York (4 years)

Los Angeles Dept. of Water & Power
California (3 years)

Madison Gas & Electric Company
Wisconsin (5 years)

Matanuska Electric Association
Alaska (4 years)

MidAmerican Energy Company
Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, South Dakota (1st year)

National Grid USA
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island (2 years)

Niagara Mohawk Power Corp.
New York (3 years)

Northern Indiana Public Service Co.
Indiana (9 years)

NSTAR
Massachusetts (2 years)

OG&E Electric Services
Oklahoma (5 years)

Omaha Public Power District
Nebraska (2 years)

Oncor
Texas (1st year)

Opelika Light & Power Dept.
Alabama (2 years)

Orange & Rockland Utilities
New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania (1st year)

Orlando Utilities Commission
Florida (4 years)

Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
California (8 years)

Pacificorp
California, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming (1st year)

Peninsula Light Company
Washington (4 years)

People's Electric Cooperative
Oklahoma (2 years)

Pepco
District of Columbia, Maryland (1st year)

Provo City Power
Utah (6 years)

Public Service Co. of New Mexico
New Mexico (3 years)

Public Service Co. of Oklahoma
Oklahoma (9 years)

PUD #1 of Chelan County
Washington (4 years)

Puget Sound Energy
Washington (2 years)

Richland Electric Cooperative
Wisconsin (1st year)

Richmond Power & Light
Indiana (3 years)

Sacramento Municipal Utility Dist.
California (2 years)

Salt River Project
Arizona (5 years)

Snohomish County PUD #1
Washington (1st year)

Southern California Edison
California (2 years)

Southwestern Electric Power Co.
Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas (7 years)

Vernon Electric Cooperative
Wisconsin (1st year)

Village of Rantoul
Illinois (1st year)

West Texas Utilities
Texas (2 years)

Westar
Kansas (3 years)

Wisconsin Electric Power Co.
Wisconsin (4 years)

Wisconsin Public Service Corp.
Michigan, Wisconsin (7 years)

Xcel Energy
Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Wisconsin, Wyoming (6 years)

-More-

708 Blair Mill Road • Willow Grove, PA 19090 • USA • 1-800-248-TREE • e-mail:CorpComm@asplundh.com