438 Ballard et al.: New Wire Zone–Border Zone Diagrams tures (towers or poles) to be maintained free of woody veg- etation. Maintaining this exclusion zone ensures access for maintenance, repair, and inspection; worker safety; lon- gevity of structures; and so on, and is commonly practiced by many utilities. In conclusion, the WZ/BZ approach is a potentially useful one, but if it is to be used as an “industry best practice” for Integrated Vegetation Management, consideration should be given for a more accurate and flexible interpretation of this management approach. Specifically, the traditional Bramble et al. depiction of a ROW cross-section should be updated, as depicted in Figure 1B, to more accurately represent typical ROW dimensions, particularly for transmission lines of 230 kV or greater. Additionally, plan and profile views should be added to represent a three-dimensional system (Figure 2). Plan and profile figures demonstrate that a potentially large area of a ROW can be managed for a mosaic of shrub– herbaceous vegetation if WZ areas with adequate conductor- to-ground clearances are managed as “effective border zones” permitting woody vegetation. An exclusion zone may also be warranted around tower structures, in which only nonwoody vegetation is permitted to grow, ensuring access for repair and maintenance and minimizing potential fire hazard, par- ticularly around wooden structures. Using these updated fig- ures for depicting the WZ/BZ approach will allow a broader, more flexible interpretation and implementation of the WZ/ BZ approach, which ultimately, we feel, will be more con- sistent with Integrated Vegetation Management on electric transmission line ROWs (see further discussion on IVM in Nowak and Ballard 2005). Although our northeastern United States perspective—one that views shrubs as an important, desirable component of ROWs—may differ from those working in other locales as a result of different regulatory, socioeconomic and envi- ronmental conditions, our objective here is to encourage broader interpretation of the WZ/BZ approach. Although shrubs may be an important, desirable component of New York ROWs, we recognize that in some regions, permitting woody vegetation on ROWs may not be a best manage- ment practice; best management practices will commonly dif- fer by region. Acknowledgments. Over the past decade, we have worked collabo- ratively with various organizations and have gained much in terms of collegial reactions and monetary support that afforded us devel- opmental opportunities such as this. We acknowledge the following organizations for that support: Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), National Grid (NG), New York Power Authority (NYPA), and New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG). The following individuals were especially helpful in reviewing and commenting on this research note: Ken Finch (NG), Dick Mider (NYSEG), Dave Morrell (New York State Public Service Commission), Lewis Payne (NYPA), and Tom Sullivan (NG). ©2007 International Society of Arboriculture LITERATURE CITED ANSI. 2006. American National Standards for Tree Care Op- erations—Tree, Shrub, and Other Woody Plant Mainte- nance—Standard Practices (Integrated Vegetation Man- agement. A. Electric Utility Rights-of-Way). ANSI A300 (Part 7)—2006. American National Standards Institute, Inc., Washington, DC. Ballard, B.D., H.L. Whittier, and C.A. Nowak. 2004. North- eastern Shrub and Short Tree Identification—A Guide for Right-of-Way Vegetation Management. Research Foundation of the State University of New York and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY. Bramble, W.C., W.R. Byrnes, and R.J. Hutnik. 1985. Effects of a special technique for right-of-way maintenance on deer habitat. Journal of Arboriculture 11:278–284. Bramble, W.C., W.R. Byrnes, and M.D. Schuler. 1986. Ef- fects of a special technique for right-of-way maintenance on an avian population. Journal of Arboriculture 12: 219–226. CN Utility Consulting. 2004. Utility Vegetation Manage- ment Final Report. Commissioned to support the federal investigation of the 14 August 2003 northeast black- out. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Washing- ton, DC. Lee, J.M., V.L. Chartier, D.P. Hartmann, G.E. Lee, K.S. Pierce, F.L. Shon, R.D. Stearns, and M.T. Zeckmeister. 1993. Electrical and Biological Effects of Transmission Lines: A Review. U.S. Department of Energy, Bonneville Power Administration, Portland, OR. Nowak, C.A., and P.J. Appelt. 2002. Wildlife and Integrated Vegetation Management on Electric Transmission Line Rights-of-Way. Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA. EPRI Technical Update No. 1005366. Nowak, C.A., and B.D. Ballard. 2005. A framework for ap- plying Integrated Vegetation Management on rights-of- way. Journal of Arboriculture 31:29–38. Nowak, C.A., B.D. Ballard, P.J. Appelt, and D. Gartman. 2002. Integrated Vegetation Management of Gas Line Rights-of-Way. Gas Technical Institute, Chicago, IL, GRI-01/0096. Yahner, R.H., and R.J. Hutnik. 2004. Integrated vegeta- tion management on an electric transmission right-of-way in Pennsylvania, U.S. Journal of Arboriculture 30: 295–300. Yahner, R.H., B.D. Ross, R.T. Yahner, R.J. Hutnik, and S.A. Liscinsky. 2004. Long-term effects of rights-of- way maintenance via the wire-border zone method on bird nesting ecology. Journal of Arboriculture 30: 288–294.
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