This project seeks to investigate potential improvements of efficiency, safety and environmental impact through the use of Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM). IVM is the practice of promoting desirable, low-growing plant species beneath overhead lines. Combined with occasional herbicide use, they are expected to suppress taller, woody species and so reduce the need for clearance work, reduce the frequency of re-visits; and replace chainsaw and mulcher techniques. IVM offers a safe, environmentally sound, and low-cost approach to maintaining the necessary clearance distances.
The success of the project will be defined by the following outcomes: Identification of the extent to which IVM can control trees returning and how effective it is as a tool to maintain regulatory standards around power lines. The project will determine if IVM is a cost-effective method in the UK.
NIA £269,000
2016 – 2023
Matthew Hamilton
