Also, there were significant benefits to workers. In-house coordinators (general foremen) and planners (permitters) no longer have to serve two masters (their contractor company and APS) and have a stake in the success of the operation. In-house crews receive: improved training, safety, tools and equipment; better insurance (health, vision, dental); opportunities for bonuses; ISA certifications; and the benefit of being a part of the utility, resulting in closer ties and better control of the operation.

With the decision having been made to bring APS's vegetation management services in-house and to supplement the staff with contractors, it fell upon the management team to develop an action plan for the business unit. The team's diverse background — from forestry, landscaping, wildlife management, utility arboriculture, business management, computer science, archeology, finance and ecology — helped the project stay on task.

The following are the 13 steps the team took to establish a comprehensive vegetation management program:

1. Perform financial analysis

2. Develop and negotiate agreement with union

3. Research tools and evaluate suppliers

4. Research and lease available equipment

5. Create new job descriptions (section leader, coordinators, planners and arborist classifications)

6. Interview and hire management team

7. Receive delivery of and customize fleet

8. Coordinate interviewing, hiring and initial training

9. Transport trucks, stock tools and equipment

10. Revise database and train administrative assistants

11. Prearrange work in advance of crews

12. Form safety committee

13. Evaluate available industry training programs.

While safety appears as No. 12 on the list, it most certainly was at the top of the team's mind. And at APS, safety always comes first. Due to the inherent risk of clearing and pruning vegetation away from high-voltage power lines, safety is the single most important consideration. In every area of the company, all APS employees are responsible for safety. It's embedded in APS's culture.

While all contract workers must meet and operate under specific safety requirements to maintain their status as an approved APS vendor, it is mandatory for all APS employees to continuously undergo rigorous safety training. In addition, employees are equipped with and trained to use state-of-the-art tools designed to help keep them safe. APS is proud to have incredibly high safety scores, and its training, tools and standards are light-years ahead of most companies.

By bringing vegetation management in-house, APS had newer employees with high-risk responsibilities, and therefore was concerned about employee safety as well as maintaining its stellar safety record. In 2003, tree workers ranked third on the company's Preventable Recordable list. That ranking continued through 2004. Because APS believes that all accidents are preventable, with management's support, the safety committee stepped up its safety training efforts by ordering new hard hats that were better suited for tree work, establishing an apprenticeship program and providing training through ArborMaster Training Inc. (Willington, Connecticut, U.S.).

Within the first 10 months of transitioning to in-house crews, APS's safety record was unsatisfactory, recording 10 accidents. The team decided to focus on training to turn the safety record around. After the first ArborMaster training module took place in October 2004, APS noticed a remarkable difference in crew safety awareness, and beginning April 20, 2004, the team went accident free for one year.

The crews started learning safety techniques for basic work and now have moved to advanced rigging and climbing. APS credits Rip Tompkins and Ken Palmer, the owners of ArborMaster, for taking the APS team from old-school practices to using modern climbing systems and techniques.

In addition, the safety committee started an Annual Safety Training Day, revised its Customer Profile Sheet so that it focused more on safety and implemented a bonus program that hinged on each employee's safety record for the year. Since implementing these programs and strategies, APS has seen dramatic increases in safety, productivity, cost savings and customer satisfaction.

APS is pleased with the way its program is evolving. Because of a bark beetle infestation, APS continues to use contractors to deal with dead and dying trees near the power lines. Comparing the company's cost per tree in 2006, the contactor average is $59.31 per tree worked, while APS crews cost $30.51 per tree worked. Even more importantly, the APS safety record continues to improve. APS's current path is proving to be a win-win situation for all parties. The company is optimistic that its future is bright.

Michael Neal is manager of Forestry and Special Programs at Arizona Public Service Co. He is a past president of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) as well as the Utility Arborist Association. Neal is an ISA-certified arborist and ISA utility specialist. He serves on the Governor Forest Health Oversight Committee and chairs the subcommittee on education. In addition, he is serving on the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Transmission System Vegetation Management team, developing vegetation management standards. His background includes five years with the Florida Division of Forestry and more than 20 years of involvement in utility arboriculture. Neal earned a bachelor's degree in forest resource management from West Virginia University. michael.neal@aps.com