Strengthening Reliability Through Vegetation Management and Right-of-Way Maintenance

Fayette Electric Cooperative appreciates the community’s passion for our local trees and understands that vegetation management and right-of-way (ROW) work can feel disruptive for residents who value their trees and landscapes. We recognize these concerns and value the opportunity to share why this work is an important part of serving our members.

As your member‑owned cooperative, we take vegetation management within our rights‑of‑way seriously. This ongoing effort is a key part of being responsible stewards of the electric system and helps protect reliability, safety, and long‑term affordability for our members and communities.

Vegetation contact with power lines is the leading cause of outages on our system. This risk exists year-round and becomes especially significant during storms and severe weather, when limbs can break, sag, or come into contact with energized lines. Because vegetation is such a major driver of service interruptions, proactive vegetation management is one of the most effective tools we have to reduce outages and improve reliability.

FEC invests in planned, proactive vegetation management to address potential issues before they result in outages. This approach helps minimize storm‑related damage, reduces the need for emergency repairs, and supports a more resilient electric system. Over time, maintaining well-managed rights-of-way also allows future maintenance to be performed more efficiently, helping to control long-term operating costs that can affect electric rates.

For our members and communities, this work delivers meaningful benefits, including:

•  Fewer outages and less flickering, resulting in more consistent electric service

•  Reduced storm damage and fewer emergency restoration events

•  Improved safety for members, our crews, and the public

•  Better long‑term cost control through proactive, efficient system maintenance

Vegetation management is a key part of FEC’s mission to deliver safe, reliable, and affordable electric service while supporting the vitality and sustainability of the communities we serve. As a cooperative, we focus on long‑term investments that protect service quality and value for our members, not just today, but for years to come.

Fayette Electric Cooperative remains committed to transparency and open communication. We welcome questions and appreciate our members’ understanding and partnership as we work together to build a stronger, more resilient electric system that everyone can count on.

For more information, members are encouraged to contact Fayette Electric Cooperative or visit here.