Texans saw a historic heat wave in the summer of 2011, and according to the National Weather Service, it was the second worst summer drought in 500 years!

In the wake of “the great scorcher of 2011” and the continued drought conditions across the state, some experts estimate that as many as 30 percent of trees in our area may die over the next few years. So it’s especially important to recognize and be vigilant about potential drought effects on trees across the state and in our service territory.

Dead trees close to power lines create a hazard.

The effects of drought are not always immediate. Rather, stresses of prolonged dry periods can take years to fully manifest. As a result, it’s very important to proactively monitor the health and condition of trees in CoServ’s territory, as dead trees can pose significant hazard to electrical infrastructure.

CoServ’s vegetation management plan calls for continual monitoring of our system to ensure trees and other vegetation don’t encroach on power lines and other critical electrical equipment. In fact, we have a full-time professional forester who developed our comprehensive, reliability-centered management plan that enhances safety, reduces costs, and improves the reliability of your electric service.

Hypoxylon Canker commonly infects and kills drought stressed hardwoods in our area. It can be identified by the gray/silver /black patches of fungal spores  where the normal bark has fallen off.

In addition to our ongoing tree line safety program, we recognize that the drought conditions have likely compromised a higher than normal number of trees in our service territory. As a service to Members (and as a proactive measure to lessen the risk of danger associated with an abundance of dead trees), if you suspect you may have a tree on your property that could pose a hazard to our facilities, you may call CoServ’s Vegetation Management Department and request a hazard assessment or you can submit a non-emergency hazard form from Contact Us. One of our vegetation management professionals will evaluate the situation to determine if the tree can be removed at our cost whether or not it is located within our easement.