Research & PresentationsResearch & PresentationsResearch & Presentations
ECI’s industry-leading research related to vegetation management has moved our industry forward and helped set ECI apart from others. Our experience in managing multi-disciplinary teams and focusing research on real challenges and practical questions that managers need answers to, has generated value above and beyond other, more traditional research organizations.
Why ECI?
ECI has conducted over 50 research projects related to vegetation management for groups such as Empire State Electric Energy Research Company (ESEERCO) and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), as well as proprietary research for client utilities.
ECI has conducted numerous environmental studies, including wetlands studies, herbicide use studies, environmental impact statements (EIS) for right-of-way management and Tree Growth Regulator (TGR) use, and buffer zone effectiveness studies.
Research into how trees cause outages shed light on the interactions between electrical conductors and trees.
The Economic Impacts of Deferring Electric Utility Tree Maintenance study completed by ECI continues to be widely used to assess the impact of line clearance program budget reductions.
ECI’s ongoing Green Lane Research Demonstration Project in Pennsylvania, begun in 1987, is a long-term, continuous study that examines the impacts of various right-of-way vegetation management techniques.