With 90 percent of power outages during storms caused by trees, Stormwise is linking forest management and community outreach with electric utility vegetation management to foster storm resistant trees and forests.

At the Eversource Energy Center we are working with town officials, land managers and private land owners to investigate options for maintaining ecological functions and benefits of trees while reducing risk to infrastructure from trees during storms. Opportunities include forest management techniques in forested areas, and tree-planting or trimming protocols in more urbanized communities.

• Using traditional forestry methods and techniques, as well as new research and technology, to develop creative management strategies adapted to the developed environment.
• Sharing research findings and best practices for roadside vegetation management with communities, land managers and forest practitioners.
• Identifying opportunities or barriers within communities to adopting strategic roadside forest management practices, roadside tree planting and tree trimming protocols.
• Supporting Connecticut's local forest practitioners, the local wood industry and utilization of removed roadside trees.
• Retaining the beauty and ecological benefits of roadside forests, while protecting infrastructure and reducing maintenance costs.
• Reducing outages – in both number and duration.