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Consulting an Electric Transmission & Distribution Vegetation Management Program

The Situation

To assist in assessing environmental impacts of vegetation management work, Eocene completes environmental reviews of potential impacts from vegetation work. The environmental constraints reviews include biological constraint reviews, cultural resource constraint reviews, GIS/mapping, biological and cultural surveys and monitoring, permitting, riparian reviews, and nesting bird reviews. Reviews on public land require additional federal, state and public utility requirements/considerations.  

Eocene has been assisting the following electric transmission and distribution vegetation management programs: 

  • Routine distribution program including Capitol work.
  • Routine transmission program – NERC (North American Electric Reliability Corporation) lines.
  • Routine transmission program – non-NERC lines.
  • Vegetation control – distribution pole clearing (VC).
  • Transmission fee strips.
  • Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM).
  • Transmission Right-of-Way (ROW) Reclamation Program.
  • Transmission Vegetation Management Reliability (TVMR).
  • Advanced Wildfire Risk Reduction.
  • Fuels Reduction.
  • Enhanced Vegetation Management (EVM).
  • Catastrophic Emergency Management Area (CEMA).
  • Pole Test & Treat.
  • Cell tower/work requested by other (WRO).
  • Public Safety Power Shut-off (PSPS).
  • Tree Removal Inventory (TRI).
  • Vegetation Management for Operational Mitigation (VMOM).
  • Focused Tree Inspections (FTI).

Our Solution

Eocene assisted the Vegetation Management Program in unique and creative ways in order to reduce costs and be efficient, while ensuring quality work.

Eocene’s innovations include: 

  • Streamlined and automated processes that leverage technology to complete desktop reviews.
  • Created an online system to utilize known data and resources for preliminary desktop reviews.
  • Utilized new tools and programs to assist with tracking assignments, deliverables, and staff.
  • Designed complex and efficient databases to allow for real-time tracking, data management, and integrated quality control through a shared set of data.

To support these Vegetation Management Programs in assessing their environmental impacts, Eocene has completed and continues to complete the below at a high volume quick turnaround capacity:

  • Field visits (biology, cultural, EFS) for pre-and post-construction.
  • Compliance monitoring.
  • Environmental desktop reviews (biology, cultural, EFS).
  • GIS mapping.
  • Riparian review screening.
  • Nesting bird review screening.
  • Environmental Release to Construction (ERTC) documents.
  • Agency permit applications.

Eocene’s staff on the Vegetation Management Program consists of:

  • 45+ biologists
  • 20+ archaeologists
  • 15+ land planners
  • 15+ GIS technicians
  • 15+ project coordinators
  • 15+ project managers

Summary of Client

One of the largest utility companies in the U.S., transmitting and distributing natural gas and electricity throughout much of California, the utility’s mission is to safely and securely provide service to over 5 million customers daily.

At a Glance

  • Eocene Environmental Group has been assisting and supporting various electric transmission and distribution vegetation management programs. 
  • All support aims to assess, minimize and document environmental impacts associated with vegetation management activities. 
  • Eocene’s sophisticated in-house database was leveraged to maintain quality and efficiency while coordinating a large number of staff across many locations and work orders. 
  • The project began in 2009 and is ongoing.
  • Vegetation work includes trimming and removals and occurs on public and private land.

Results

1,000-plus

desktop reviews annually

100s

of surveys and monitoring days annually

10,000

miles of lines reviewed since 2009

Expedited reviews

within 10 days or less if no surveys required

Learn More About the Eocene Environmental Group Team/

Eocene has an experienced and passionate team of biologists, archaeologists, environmental planners, foresters, arborists, agronomists, animal scientists, sustainability risk specialists, software developers and engineers. Check out the “Our People” page to learn more about our team.

Our People
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