Forest Operations RW Maintenance Fuel Management

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Forest OperationsR/W Maintenance Fuel Management

• Craig Nyrose (ATCO Electric)

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Background

• Atco Electric - Investor Owned Utility
• Forest Operations Group Responsible for
  Vegetation Management
• Manage 8000 km of Transmission Rights of Ways
  60,000 km of Distribution

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Service Area

• Primarily Northern Part of Alberta, Green Zone,
  Forest Protection Area
• Area around Drumheller
• Area around Bonnyville and Lloydminster

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ATCO Service Area
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Topics

• Program Development ( Steps)
• Maintenance
• Hazard Reduction
• Where we are going
• Questions

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Program Development

• Steps
• Scheduling
• Patrols
• Consenting
• Estimating

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Scheduling

• Initial planning done on 3 yr cycle for
  maintenance activities
• Hazard Reduction based on 5 yr cycle.
• Estimates based on previous programs / history
• Evaluate program at patrol stage

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Legal Requirements

• ECUC
• 2 workers, one must be UTW or UTT
• Limits of approach
• Tree clearances
• Control of work

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Maintenance

• Patrol powerline R/W to evaluate vegetation on
  R/W
• Review clearances to conductor
• Use integrated vegetation management approach

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Patrols

• Done by experienced maintenance patrollers (gt
  5yrs exp.)
• Drive system to evaluate requirements
• Record preferred method of brush control ( mech
  vs. herbicide)

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Patrols New Approach

• Initiating Major Shift in Vegetation Management
• Norm is to Patrol for Clearances from Energized
  Apparatus
• Now Shifting to Evaluating Vegetation in Terms of
  Fuel

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Patrols New Approach

• Have found most powerline fires occur during
  early spring / late fall
• 2 Options-
• 1) Reduce risk by eliminating tree contacts
  (Tree-free) (60,000 Ha)
• 2) Reduce potential for fire spread

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Equipment
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Equipment
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Equipment
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Results
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Results
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Results
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Results
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Results
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Results
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Hazard Reduction

• Can occur on or off R/W
• On R/W deals primarily with Fine Fuel reduction.
• Off R/W deals with Forest Fuel types and Hazard
  Trees

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Hazard Reduction

• Removal of Hazard Trees
• Hazard Tree
• A standing tree, either alive or dead, having
  visible defects, singly or combined, which
  predisposes it to structural failure in whole or
  in part, and which is so located that such a
  failure would cause the tree to contact a live
  electrical conductor.

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Hazard Trees

• Trees Identified with Blue Paint
• Done as separate patrol or as part of maintenance
  patrol
• Requires special equipment and training to remove
  trees

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Equipment
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Equipment
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Hazard Reduction- Stand Modeling

• Utilizes Wildfire Threat Analysis Model to
  identify Large Scale Areas
• Uses AVI data and selected criteria to evaluate
  stand hazard.
• Major criteria include species, density, age,
  slope.
• Work with FMA in planning prescriptions

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Fire Smart

• Presently working with Parks Canada in Jasper
• Assisting in mechanical removal of vegetation to
  mimic fire regime
• Utilize UTW crews within I tree length of
  powerlines
• Looking at other communities as well (Ft.
  McMurray, Swan Hills, East Prairie)

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Wildfire Directives

• Currently in draft from SRD
• Special attention paid to Communities at Risk
• Will require intensive vegetation management in
  10 km zone.
• What is intensive vegetation management?

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Fire Agreement

• Have signed new agreement with SRD
• Will cover lines in the Forest Protection Area
• Will limit liability in event of fire resulting
  from powerlines in the Forest Protection Zone.

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Where We are Going?

• Continue with extensive Hazard Tree removal
  program
• Continue to work with SRD and stakeholders to
  develop accepted approach
• Work with SRD and Communities in Fire Smart
  approach

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Questions?