July 2025

Investigating Tree-Caused Outages in Virginia

Gregory Dahle, PhD, BCMA, TRAQ

West Virginia University

Cindy Devlin Musick

Senior Director Vegetation Management, Rappahannock Electric Cooperative

Forestry PhD candidate at WVU

Owner, EcoAcumen, LLC

Trees are the number one cause of power outages to millions of people who reside on the East Coast. Despite spending billions of dollars annually to clear trees around power lines while vegetation continues to be the leading cause for most power outages at many utilities.

Maintenance can minimize “grow-in” outages, but a more strategic approach is needed to determine the cause of whole tree failure. A team of utility urban foresters at a Mid-Atlantic electric utility and WVU investigated over 800 outages caused by tree failures to identify trends of failure.

Our study found that most tree-caused power outages were the result of live trees failing at the trunk and many these failures had no visible defect. The overall likelihood of branch failures were low and more were found in hardwood trees than softwood trees. We continue to investigate the relationship between tree-caused outages and soil type and the proximity to water. This study highlights the importance of implementing the Utility Tree Risk Assessment BMPs and developing new methods to identify trees with either an elevated likelihood of failure and/or likelihood of impact.

Research funded by 2022 and 2023 Utility Arborist Research Fund Grant Program with final reports due in 2027.

Figure 1. Tree failure along distribution Right of Way. 

Figure 2. Tree along distribution Right of Way rated as High Risk via UTRA and marked for removal. 

Lead Donors

We are deeply grateful to the following people and organizations whose accumulated contributions to TREE Fund in 2025 surpassed $2,500 or more as of June:

Jeffrey McMullen

Steve Reynolds

Bruce Rogers

Dave Scharfenberger

Derek Scott

Southern Chapter ISA

David Walker

See the full list of lead donors who make our vital tree research and education work possible on our website.

Grant Application Cycle Begins August 1

TREE Fund's Fall 2025 Grant Application Cycle will start accepting applications on August 1.

Five grant programs will be accepting applications. The fall cycle application period runs from August 1 to October 1 with Letters of Inquiry due by September 15. Full descriptions for each of these grant programs and the application process are available on TREE Fund’s website or by going directly to www.treefund.org/researchgrants.

The total potential grant dollars from this cycle add up to $85,000.

“We are looking forward to this round of applications and seeing what new, cutting-edge research is being investigated,” said Dr. Paul Putman, President and CEO of TREE Fund. “We have seen an uptick in grant applications over the last few years, which has included some great projects that will provide useful information to arborists and others in the field. While we can’t fund all submitted applications, we know that the volunteers on our Research and Education Committee are tuned in to the needs of the industry and will recommend outstanding projects for funding.”

The following grant programs will be accepting applications this cycle:

The John Z. Duling Grant Program provides start up or seed funding to support innovative research and technology transfer projects and awards up to $20,000.

The Jack Kimmel International Grant Program, funded in cooperation with Canadian TREE Fund, provides funding for arboriculture research by applicants working primarily outside the United States and awards up to $10,000.

The Safe Arborist Techniques Fund Grant Program supports original research that creates a safer work environment for people working in the tree care industry and the general public they serve and awards up to $15,000.

The Bob Skiera Memorial Fund Building Bridges Initiative and John P. White Grant Program support projects which help arborists and urban foresters communicate the value of trees and urban forests on a global basis through technology transfer and engagement with developers, builders, civil engineers, city planners, elected officials, and other policy makers and awards up to $30,000.

The Tree and Soil Research Fund Grant Program supports projects with research of interest to the landscape architecture community with a special focus in the area of trees and soils that support them and awards up to $10,000.

TREE Fund passed the $6 Million level for grant making and scholarships after the spring 2025 application period.

TREE Fund's 2025 Free Webinar Series

We are excited to continue to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of our TREE Fund Webinar series with free webinars available to the public based on research funded by TREE Fund grants. Thanks to the Alabama Cooperative Extension System for helping us again with these videos.

Mark your calendars for our next webinars!

October 14, 2025. Noon CT.

Policy Strategies to Value and Retain Mature Urban Trees on Private Lands

Presenter: JD Brown

Click here to register for this webinar

November 5, 2025. 2:00pm CT. (Note different time from normal.)

Optimizing Tree Responses to Root Pruning in Mature Trees

Presenter: Justin Morgenroth

Click here to register for this webinar

December 9, 2025. Noon CT.

Assessing the Mechanical, Physiological, and Carbon Accounting Effects of Different Pruning Regimens

Presenter: Stella Dee

Click here to register for this webinar

See our Webinar page for more information. https://treefund.org/webinars

TREE Fund’s 1-hour webinars are free and offer 1.0 CEU credit for live broadcasts from the International Society of Arboriculture and the Society of American Foresters. Registration and information will become available on our website approximately two weeks before each webinar date.

Missed a webinar? Watch it anytime on our website. You can also subscribe to our YouTube page.

Tour des Trees Starts Soon

In just a few days, 61 riders from all over the country and internationally will start their 430+ mile journey around Michigan at this year's Tour des Trees.

Be sure to follow along by following the Tour des Trees Facebook page and by viewing the photo gallery, which will be updated each day during the ride, August 1o-16.

We are 43% of the way to our goal!

Help us achieve our fundraising goal this year by making a donation to your favorite rider, ISA Chapter team, corporate team, or by making a general donation. Every bit helps TREE Fund's mission and grant and scholarship programs.

August is "Make a Will Month"

August is "Make a Will Month" and is a time to reflect on your estate planning needs and ensure your wishes are documented.

Friends and supporters who have formally documented planned gifts to benefit TREE Fund and advised us of their intentions become members our Heritage Oak Society.

To learn more about how to make a planned gift, declare future support for TREE Fund, hear more about our funding needs, or discuss how to make your legacy vision a reality, visit our Planned Giving page or contact Heath directly at hhupke@treefund.org.

TREE Fund

Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund

1755 Park St. Suite #200, Naperville, IL 60563

(630) 369-8300

treefund@treefund.org

www.treefund.org

TREE Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit whose mission is to support scientific discovery and dissemination of new knowledge in the fields of arboriculture and urban forestry.

TREE Fund earned our 2024 Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency. Check out our nonprofit profile to keep up to date with our impact. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/shared/17bf1c65-c913-4096-8695-11f0dc3fa73f.

Keep this link handy, we want to make sure you always have the information you need to support our work with trust and confidence.

TREE Fund is proud to announce that its strong financial health and ongoing accountability and transparency has earned a Three-Star Rating from Charity Navigator. This rating designates TREE Fund as an official “Give with Confidence” charity, indicating that our organization is using its donations effectively based on Charity Navigator’s criteria.