Met-Ed's 2020 Tree Trimming Program to Enhance Service Reliability

READING, Pa., June 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Metropolitan Edison Company (Met-Ed), a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), continues to conduct tree trimming work in communities across its service area in Pennsylvania as part of its ongoing efforts to help enhance electric service reliability.

Maintaining proper clearances around electrical equipment can help reduce the frequency and duration of tree-related power outages, especially those associated with severe weather such as summer thunderstorms.

Since the beginning of the year, tree contractors have trimmed along about 1,300 miles of distribution and transmission lines in the Met-Ed area as part of the company's more than $28 million vegetation management program for 2020. Met-Ed's program remains on schedule to complete an additional 1,800 miles of work by year end.

"Trimming trees around our power lines is critical in our mission to provide reliable electric service for our customers," said Linda Moss, regional president, Met-Ed. "To bolster our efforts, we have increased our 2020 vegetation management budget by about $4 million. We are also targeting dead or damaged off-right-of-way trees that endanger our facilities. Property owners often permit us to perform this work because removing those trees also safeguards their property."

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. 

Met-Ed is scheduled in 2020 to trim trees along transmission lines and distribution circuits in Easton, Gettysburg, Hamburg, Hanover, Lebanon, Reading, Stroudsburg, York and surrounding areas and Bucks County.

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.

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

Met-Ed serves approximately 570,000 customers within 3,300 square miles of eastern and southeastern Pennsylvania. Follow Met-Ed on Twitter @Met Ed and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MetEdElectric.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence.  Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,500 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Visit FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com and follow FirstEnergy on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp.

Editor's Note:  Photos of workers using bucket trucks to trim trees near FirstEnergy power lines are available for download on Flickr. A video explaining FirstEnergy's vegetation management techniques can also be found on YouTube.

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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.