AUB HAS A NEW TREE TRIMMING CONTRACTOR IN WOLF TREE
Athens Utilities Board (AUB) has a new tree trimming contractor that will begin work on the utility’s system the first week of July.
Wolf Tree, Inc., is AUB’s new tree trimming contractor, having recently signed a three-year contract.
“We are glad to have Wolf Tree coming onto the system. We really believe that the change in contractors will be a good thing. Wolf Tree has been in the business since 1926 and has all of the expertise, licensing and equipment needed to do a good job for our customers and for AUB,” said AUB’s Wayne Scarbrough.
AUB had used Asplundh for tree trimming for several years, and the change to Wolf Tree comes after a competitive bid process.
AUB solicited bids for the tree trimming program in March. Ten companies originally requested bid packages, with six companies turning in bids that were fully evaluated for costs across the tree trimming program.
“We really look forward to a great working relationship with the Wolf Tree family,” Scarbrough said.
David Jackson, operations manager of Wolf Tree, said the crews working in and around the Athens area are local, experienced employees.
“We’ll have people who are from the community working on this project, so they know the neighborhoods they’re working in,” Jackson said.
“Additionally, the supervisor who is working on-site is an International Society of Arboriculture certified arborist, and the crew leader has an applicator license, so they also have industry credentials,” he said.
AUB’s tree trimming program is structured to have trimming on each circuit of the system every three years.
“We found that a three-year program seems to work best for us and our customers. The system, overall, is pretty clean now, with most of the tree-trimming work involved in addressing trees that have simply grown into power line rights-of-way since their last trim,” Scarbrough said.
Keeping trees clear of power lines is important, Scarbrough said.
Untrimmed trees can increase the likelihood of fires from arcing electricity and can pose a risk for electrical shock if someone comes into contact with an energized tree.
“Bad weather and trees are the main reasons for power outages in our area. They are somewhat intertwined, because it is usually trees from outside of our right-of-way falling into power lines as a result of wind damage that cause outages,” he said.
Proper tree trimming increases electric reliability, prevents expensive damage to electric infrastructure, keeps power lines in a condition where linemen can make repairs quickly when needed, as well as generally promoting the health of your trees.
