At-Risk Ash Trees Cut in Ford City, Freeport

by Jonathan Weaver

A half-inch long insect was the cause of concern for West Penn Power contractors in two Armstrong County communities before fall weather set in.

The emerald ash borer – a beetle that originally came to the United States from Asia earlier this century – destroys the water and nutrients inside of ash trees during a course of two years and could cause problems for both arborists and electrical customers, West Penn Power Spokesperson Todd Meyers said.

“The larvae get inside the ash tree and feed inside, and they exit out of like a woodpecker hole. By that time, the tree is well on its way to dying,” Myers said. “They’re everywhere – when you find one, you often find several neighbors.”

“Trimming and getting rid of dead trees is very important because the number one cause of power outages are trees coming into contact with (electrical) lines,” Meyers said.

To help prevent service interruptions and enhance system reliability – especially in Ford City and Freeport -, West Penn Power conducted a special program to remove ash trees damaged by the emerald ash borer near power lines.

Through September, more than 3,000 ash trees were removed, with an additional 1,500 ash trees expected to be removed by year end.

Ash trees deteriorate in its root system quicker than most trees, and can fall without warning.

For 2014, West Penn Power foresters have identified ash trees for removal along 1,000 miles of distribution circuits throughout the company’s 24-county service area in central and western Pennsylvania. Contractors are proactively removing the ash trees now rather than waiting until the rights-of-way are scheduled to be trimmed in 2016.

Contractors ride through each right-of-way once every five years and remove dead trees or those that could create a future problem.
“Dead and damaged ash trees near power lines pose a growing risk to our electrical infrastructure and we are taking aggressive steps to remove affected trees before they can disrupt service to our customers,” said David W. McDonald, president of West Penn Power.

West Penn Power plans to continue removing damaged ash trees in 40 other municipalities in a 14-county area, as well.

“Emerald Ash Borer poses a major threat to ash trees,” Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff said in 2007 when they were found.

As part of its notification process for its vegetation management programs, West Penn Power works with municipalities to inform them of tree work schedules.
Additionally, customers living in areas along company rights-of-way also are notified prior to the start of vegetation management activities.

All tree work is conducted to national standards by West Penn Power’s certified forestry contractors, including Asplundh Tree Expert Company, Jaflo Inc., Lewis Tree Service Inc., Penn Line Service Inc., Townsend Tree Service and Davey Tree Expert Company.

The invasive emerald ash borer originated in Asia and was first confirmed in the U.S. in Michigan in 2002. The infestation has since spread to Pennsylvania and 21 other states where it has killed millions of trees. West Penn Power first detected the emerald ash borer in Butler County in 2012.

West Penn Power spends about $25 million per year trimming trees in 24 Pennsylvania counties.

The beetles were also found in New Jersey this past spring and in Arkansas a few months ago.