Beyond the Right-of-Way

MidSouth Electric Cooperative Invests in Technology to Minimize Power Disruptions

About 10% of the service territory for Midsouth Electric Cooperative (MSEC) lies within the Sam Houston National Forest, dominated by tall pine trees, which can exceed 100 ft. These trees frequently cause outages—notably, over 95% of MSEC’s vegetation-related outages originate from trees outside the 10-ft right‑of‑way (ROW). This observation aligns with the findings of research conducted in most utilities, which has consistently shown that trees growing within the ROW contribute a negligible percentage of vegetation outages compared to trees outside the ROW.

Figure 1 – MSEC vegetation outages from 2019 to 2023

The Role of Weather & Conditions

Severe weather—especially rain and wind—is responsible for the majority of outages. However, even under normal conditions, trees beyond the ROW, whether dead or alive, contribute significantly. Saturated sandy soils are prone to root failures post-rainfall, leading to more incidents .

Figure 2 – MSEC Weather Effects on vegetation outages from 2019 to 2023.

Geospatial, Soil, and Rainfall Analysis

Empact’s team used LiDAR, outage records, and datasets from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). Their Vegetation Insights (EVI) system mapped areas needing immediate trimming versus those with slower regrowth. They defined a 150-ft “utility forest” buffer around conductors and categorized land cover into types like Post Oak Savanna and Pineywoods using TPWD data. Soil data (SSURGO) assessed root-zone water capacity, showing varied water retention that influences regrowth and tree stability.

Figure 3 – Vegetation cover types in MSEC’s service territory.
Source: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Data.
Figure 4. MSEC’s Soil Available Water Storage in the root zone (0-150cm).
Figure 5. Vegetation cover type distribution in MSEC’s utility forest

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Figure 6 – Precipitation (30-year average) in the MSEC service territory.

Annual rainfall (41–48″) varies across the service area by up to 7″, affecting tree growth rates and trimming needs—drier western zones grow slower and may need less frequent trimming.

Planning Hazard Tree Control Using a Tree Mortality Model

Using a GIS-based model combining soil, cover type, rainfall, and outage data, MSEC identified “hot spots” of hazard trees. This targeted approach reduced vegetation-related outages by 60%.

Trim Planning

Spring–summer 2024 LiDAR data revealed specific encroachment zones (0–3 ft, 3–6 ft, 6–10 ft). MSEC prioritized the Dobbin substation area and counted trees per ROW segment to estimate clearing efforts. While MSEC continues a five-year trim cycle, EVI recommended more frequent trims (every 2–3 years) for nine specific fast-growth feeders and mid-cycle reviews for others, optimizing cost and safety.

Figure 8 – This close-up of a LiDAR point cloud shows vegetation encroachment, June 2024.
Figure 9 – Vegetation encroachment in the MSEC right-of-way.
Figure 10 – Miles of line encroach into the right-of-way by a substation.
Figure 11 – Trees involved in a right-of-way encroachment by a substation.
Figure 12 – Encroaching vegetation location.
Figure 13 – Trim Cycle Length recommendations.
Figure 14 – Substation trim cycle length recommendations.
Figure 15 – Feeder trim cycle length recommendations.

Strategic Benefits

  • Negotiate Better Contracts
    EVI has provided MSEC with data and information that they will share with their ROW contractors during the bidding process. They can influence the process in two ways. First of all, they will have a comprehensive understanding of the vegetation intensity of their utility forest. This enables them to negotiate a more favorable price for sections of the system where there is minimal or no vegetation. Secondly, the cooperative recently discovered that ROW contractors charge double the price for sections where vegetation clearance is required on both sides of the conductors. EVI provided the cooperative with this information for every section of line where there was encroachment into the ROW.
  • Cycle Optimization
    Knowing the characteristic of the utility forest has helped MSEC to have a good idea of regrowth rates based on the microenvironment. The second way this has optimized their cycle is by moving forward feeders that need attention earlier into the cycle and vice versa. This ensures that money is spent where it needs to be spent, and attention can be given to feeders that require urgent attention and saved on feeders that do not require any immediate work.
  • Validation of Coop’s Current Plan
    EVI’s findings confirmed that the circuits identified by EVI as those requiring the most attention were the same circuits scheduled for trimming by the cooperative this year and the following year, enhancing confidence and precision in resource allocation.

LiDAR vs Satellite Imagery

The question of whether LiDAR or satellite imagery is superior for UVM has been posed repeatedly. Each technology offers unique advantages. LiDAR provides survey-grade location accuracy and 3D modeling of the terrain and vegetation, while satellite imagery, particularly multispectral imagery, enables more detailed vegetation analytics, such as assessing vegetation health and identifying species. A combination of these technologies provides a comprehensive understanding of the vegetation and effectively conveys its characteristics.

As LiDAR technology becomes more affordable and efficient, it presents a favorable opportunity for utilities. LiDAR offers multiple applications, contributing to cost reductions and significantly enhancing its value proposition. In the case of MSEC, LiDAR is used not only for vegetation analytics but also for correcting their GIS with precise location data, conducting joint use audits and managing pole loading. This multifaceted application of LiDAR has made it highly valuable. EMPACT Engineering has assisted MSEC in analyzing vast point cloud data to derive actionable information, demonstrating the potential of LiDAR in this domain.

If a utility lacks access to LiDAR data or does not have capacity or capability to analyze such data, they can still freely use available datasets such as SSURGO, Precipitation and Vegetation Cover type as a foundation. MSEC serves as a notable example of this approach. They developed their initial vegetation management plan, which has demonstrated significant effectiveness, employing GIS and free data.

Their recent collaboration with EMPACT Engineering and integration of LiDAR technology into their operational processes has significantly enhanced the efficacy of their vegetation management planning. This advancement has eliminated a substantial amount of uncertainty from their entire workflow, encompassing budgeting, bidding and execution in the field.

COMFORT MANYAME, GISP is the Director for Geospatial R&D at EMPACT Engineering. Prior to this role, he served as the technology and research strategy lead for MidSouth Electric Cooperative in Texas for over a decade. Manyame leads EMPACT Engineering’s vegetation management research, utilizing high-resolution LiDAR and remote sensing imagery. His work has been widely published, including in Esri’s “GIS Best Practices for Municipalities, Cooperatives, & Rural Electric Utilities” and RE Magazine. Manyame holds a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.

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