'A journey': Austin Energy reports tree trimming progress after previous audit noted delays
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Energy said it is making progress on tree trimming after a 2023 audit documented how and why the utility was "behind" on its vegetation management goals. Vegetation management is the effort to prevent outages during winter weather, as well as wildfires, by trimming trees around power lines and equipment.
Austin Energy aims to trim around each of the city's 305 circuits on a seven-year cycle.
The auditors made several recommendations to improve data accuracy and reporting, as well as for long-range planning, to help the utility catch up. According to a spokesperson for Austin Energy, it will be rolling out more training for short-term employees and contract workers to help with data consistency and accuracy this month. Some of the other audit recommendations regarding planning are in progress and on track for a completion date of December 2025.
In a city news conference on Wednesday in advance of potential winter weather impacts, Austin Energy’s Deputy General Manager of Business Services Stuart Reilly said the utility had made progress on trimming, calling it “a journey.”
In 2006, Austin City Council directed the utility to trim trees less than industry standards in response to requests from several groups of neighbors worried about “managing and protecting the health, economic, ecological and aesthetic benefits of the urban tree canopy,” the audit explained. In 2019, the utility increased trimming to better align with industry standards, and in 2021 the city increased its budget to help. Still, as KXAN has previously reported, it took a few more years for new crews and constructors to be hired and begin work.
The utility’s goal is to have the entire city back to industry standards by 2028. A spokesperson told KXAN around 120 circuits had been trimmed to the standard, so far. Reports for 2024 were still being finalized, but the utility estimates around 28 to 30 circuits were completed. The spokesperson said it is targeting 44 in Fiscal Year 2025.
KXAN will continue to follow any progress and the rollout of the audit recommendations.