<b>By CELESTE BAUMGARTNER<br>
Ohio Correspondent</b></p><p>

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — In 2003, a single tree grew into power lines and caused a power outage for more than 50 million people in North America and Canada. In fact, tree limbs falling across power lines are the most common cause of power outages.<br>
After the 2003 incident, studies were done. The result was that the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) established new expectations for maintaining the rights-of-way of transmission lines that are considered critical to the operation of the nation’s electricity grid. NERC was given the authority to fine a utility up to $1 million a day, if that utility owns a line that has an outage caused by a tree or brush in the right-of-way, for the time that line is out, said Utility Forester Fritz Meyer of Indiana Michigan Power (I&M), a unit of American Electric Power (AEP).<br>
“There is real emphasis now on doing a better job of maintaining transmission lines,” Meyer said.<br>
Lines are maintained about every two to five years, he said. First, a planner follows a line through and sees what needs to be done. The planner works on contract for I&M, as does the company that does the actual clearing.<br>
“He is generally a forestry graduate, somebody that can identify trees and knows something about the kinds of trees that are growing out there; which are weak-wooded, which are sturdy,” Meyer said.<br>
“It also gives you a little more control, rather than having the clearing contractor deciding what he wants to do. This puts an impartial person in the middle between the company and the clearing contractor.”
The clearing contractor contacts the property owner two weeks to a month before the work is done, Meyer said. If there are locked gates on the property, plans are made for the contractor to gain access.<br>
If livestock is pastured in the area, the owner may make specific requests as to how that will be handled. Also, if cattle are pastured, any cherry trees that are cut must be removed because the wilted leaves are poisonous to cattle.<br>
“As far as brush, we either use an herbicide to control it or we cut it and treat the stumps,” Meyer said. “We leave that option to the property owner to let us know which method they prefer.”<br>
There are misconceptions about rights-of-way and easements, Meyer said. The utility company has the responsibility to maintain the right-of-way, which is the area where the utility line crosses the property.<br>
“The easement is actually a document called a deed of easement,” he said. “It is a legal document recorded at the courthouse, and it defines the rights of the property owner as well as the utility. These easements allow us the right of ingress and egress over the property of this person, and it is over the entire property.”<br>
 The company does not have the right to move the line nor to add more lines. The easement also tells that damaged crops must be paid for, Meyer said.<br>
“If we damage culverts, fences, things like that, we’re liable for that damage,” he said. “If we cut down trees, the property owner has the right to be paid timber value for the trees.<br>
“That’s one of the jobs of the planner, to appraise the value.”
Most landowners cooperate fully with the power company and most of the work is routine, Meyer said.<br>
Said Mike Brian, I&M’s corporate communications manager, “The blackout of 2003 was caused by a single tree, and once the outage got rolling, it just cascaded. It is critically important that reliability be maintained, and that’s exactly what Fritz and his people are doing.”