Likelihood of Failure of Trees Along Electrical Utility Rights-of-Way: A Literature Review

Mathew Walker and Gregory A. Dahle

Abstract: Utility vegetation managers need tools to predict tree-related risks and knowledge of the necessary management prescriptions to reduce the risk of windthrow damage to utilities’ electrical infrastructure. This review focuses on key studies involving the likelihood of failure of trees, beginning with a description and discussion of failure in trees, followed by an examination of methodologies that have been used to assess tree failure, before concluding with a review of factors which have been found to influence tree failure. Ultimately, a better understanding of the likelihood of failure of individual trees and the relationships governing tree failure and vegetation-related outages may allow for significant advances in the risk management of utility infrastructure.

Keywords: Likelihood of Failure; Urban Forestry; Utility Forestry; Utility Tree Risk Assessment; Utility Vegetation Management.

https://doi.org/10.48044/jauf.2022.018