AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) A Maine power company said it plans to trim thousands of miles of trees this year to try make the state’s energy grid more reliable.
Central Maine Power said Wednesday the $27 million trimming program will target 4,600 miles (7,400 kilometers) in 2022. Maine is the most heavily forested state in the country, and falling trees and limbs are the leading cause of power outages.
The power company said it uses five-year cycles of tree work to reduce outages. That makes certain that about a fifth of the system is trimmed every year, it said.
CMP president and chief executive officer Joe Purington said arborists will work with contractors, towns and landowners to get the work done.
