Entergy Mississippi uses a vegetation management tool called the aerial saw in partnership with Aerial Solutions for trimming trees along transmission lines and reduce electric service interruption.
Entergy has 3,000 miles of transmission lines in Mississippi and trimming trees along these lines from the ground is difficult due to the terrain and access to the transmission line locations. Ground-based equipment is not feasible to reach the tops of the trees.
According to the Mississippi Forestry Commission’s 2024 Pine Mortality Report, there are more than 12.5 million dead trees in the state due to the 2023 drought.
The aerial saw extends 130 feet below a hovering helicopter and includes ten 24-inch blades. The suspended circular saw blades can trim a targeted 20-foot path through a Southern tree line along the edge of a towering transmission line.
Through a massive team effort involving crews from vegetation management, capital projects, safety, power delivery, aviation and operations, an aerial saw project launched recently in Mississippi. Under an aerial saw project in Mississippi, the crews cut trees in an area between Vicksburg and Natchez and then moved on to trim vegetation along transmission lines between Clinton and Greenville.
While a typical ground-based tree trimming equipment reaches a maximum height of 65-70 feet in the air, the aerial saw tends to exceed the limit. A project can be accomplished within four weeks with the aerial saw as compared to eight months with ground-based equipment, thereby minimizing project costs.
Entergy performs trimming on transmission rights-of-way on an as-needed basis determined by aerial and ground-based patrols. The crews use industry measures to preserve the health of the trees by following specifications developed by the International Society of Arboriculture.
