NEW ORLEANS, April 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Vegetation management. It's a big name for an even bigger service reliability initiative by Entergy Corporation to keep lines, poles and other infrastructure free from tree limbs and foliage.
The year-round, multimillion-dollar effort minimizes the number of service outages customers experience from falling trees and limbs. The initiative has earned recognition for the company as a 2014 Tree Line USA utility by the Arbor Day Foundation. This is the ninth consecutive year Entergy has been honored for its proper tree pruning, planting and care.
Tree Line USA, a partnership between the Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters, recognizes public and private utilities for pursuing practices that protect and enhance America's urban trees. Tree Line USA promotes the dual goals of delivering safe and reliable electricity while maintaining healthy community forests.
"Trees are a critical part of urban landscapes all across the United States," said John Rosenow, founder and chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. "Service providers like Entergy show that taking care of urban trees is good for business, good for customers and good for the community."
Entergy achieved Tree Line USA by meeting five program standards. Utilities must follow industry standards for quality tree care; provide annual worker training in best tree care practices; sponsor a tree-planting and public education program; maintain a tree-based energy conservation program; and participate in an Arbor Day celebration. More information about Tree Line USA can be found at www.arborday.org/TreeLineUSA.
"In order to meet Entergy's commitment to providing reliable service to our customers, we have to be both vigilant and responsible when it comes to vegetation management," said Brent Davis, transmission vegetation manager for Entergy. "A great amount of planning and focus by Entergy's distribution and transmission vegetation groups is required to meet Tree Line USA standards. We are pleased the Arbor Day Foundation recognizes the good work we do on behalf of our customers and the environment."
The Arbor Day Foundation is a million member nonprofit conservation and education organization with the mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. More information on the Foundation and its programs can be found at arborday.org.
Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including more than 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $11 billion and approximately 14,000 employees.
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SOURCE Entergy Corporation