The 2003 Northeast Blackout
In 2003, 50 million people in southeastern Canada and eight northeastern states were impacted by the largest electrical blackout in U.S. history. The blackout was caused by a fault from a high voltage power line brushing against an overgrown tree. On top of that, the alarm system that would have tripped an alarm in the control room also failed. The blackout contributed to at least 11 deaths and nearly $6 billion in costs. Had treeline helicopters been employed then, millions of people would never have lost power at all.
After the 2003 Blackout
In response to this devastating blackout, numerous government agencies and public utilities came together in order to develop the Transmission Vegetation Management Program. The intentions of this program are to manage and maintain trees around high-voltage wires on a regional basis. However, treeline work is extremely time-consuming and requires lots of manpower. Usually, tree trimming takes a crew of at least 10 guys in multiple trucks, but now, one guy and a helicopter can do it all.
The Airborne Tree Trimmer
Patented by Randall Rogers in 1985, the airborne tree trimmer changed the game as we know it. Jobs that used to take a month or more to complete now takes only a matter of days. This saw is 27 feet long. It hangs about 90 feet below the helicopter itself. Unlike traditional methods, the aerial saw can reach from the ground to the very top of the tree. These practices protect private land and roads from being damaged by heavy equipment making repeated trips.
On average, transmission lines are pruned once every five years. However, after implementing treeline helicopters, pruning cycles are expected to be extended to every eight years or more. Not only are these contraptions saving time, but they are also reducing the amount of work-related injuries of trimming crews.