# Utility vegetation management software that ties every span, crew and refusal back to the circuit

> Utility vegetation management is the work of keeping trees and brush clear of energised conductors along a utility's circuits and rights of way. The Department of Energy reports that vegetation related impacts are the most common cause of power outages in the United States, accounting for more than twenty percent of incidents. California sets hard clearances of four feet from 2,400 volts, six feet from 72,000 volts and 10 feet from 110,000 volts. Neurobird holds the span, the work, the refusal and the clearance evidence on one record.

- URL: https://neurobird.com/vegetation/
- Product: Neurobird Utility Vegetation Management Compliance Platform
- Niche: utility vegetation management
- Buyer: utility vegetation programs
- Status: in development, open for early access
- Updated: 2026-08-22

## What Neurobird Utility Vegetation Management does

- Hold planned and completed work at span level so a cycle can be compared with the last one
- Record refusals, permissions and landowner contact against the parcel rather than in a crew phone
- Track hazard trees outside the right of way from identification through to removal or decision
- Keep the clearance evidence and crew day together for the regulator, the insurer and the next planner

## How it works

1. **Plan by span** Circuits break down into spans with parcels attached, so the unit of work matches the unit the crew actually stands in.
2. **Work and evidence** Crews record what was cut, what was refused and what was flagged as a hazard tree, with photographs attached to the span rather than to a phone.
3. **Close the cycle** Completion is measured against plan span by span, so the next cycle starts from what happened rather than from what was scheduled.

## From the source material

> Each employee performing line-clearance tree trimming in the aftermath of a storm or under similar emergency conditions shall be trained in the special hazards related to this type of work.

Source: eCFR, 29 CFR 1910.269, electric power generation, transmission and distribution, https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/29/1910.269

## Industry context

- **20%** Vegetation related impacts are the most common cause of power outages in the United States, accounting for more than twenty percent of incidents. (source: US DOE, vegetation management, https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2024-11/111524_Vegetation_Management.pdf)
- **110,000 volts** California requires four feet of clearance between vegetation and conductors from 2,400 volts, six feet from 72,000 volts and 10 feet at 110,000 volts or more, measured with the air at 120 degrees Fahrenheit. (source: California Public Resources Code 4293, https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PRC&sectionNum=4293)
- **1910.269** A line clearance tree trimmer must keep 3.05 meters, 10 feet, from conductors at 50 kilovolts or less, adding 4 inches for every 10 kilovolts above that. (source: eCFR, 29 CFR 1910.269(r), https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/29/1910.269)
- **1772** Federal law lets the owner of a transmission or distribution facility on public land work to an approved vegetation management, facility inspection and operation and maintenance plan. (source: 43 U.S.C. 1772, https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/43/1772)
- **2025-007** BLM policy sets how routine operations and maintenance, including non emergency vegetation management, are notified and approved on electric utility rights of way. (source: BLM, permanent instruction memorandum 2025-007, https://www.blm.gov/policy/pim2025-007)

## Pricing

- Single programme: $299 per month
- Contractor: $699 per month
- Territory: $1,499 per month

## Questions

### What is utility vegetation management?

It is the programme a utility runs to keep trees and brush clear of energised conductors on its circuits and rights of way, including hazard trees that stand outside the corridor but could fall into it. The Department of Energy reports vegetation as the most common cause of power outages, above twenty percent of incidents.

### What clearance is actually required?

It depends on voltage and jurisdiction. California requires four feet from lines at 2,400 volts and above, six feet from 72,000 volts and 10 feet at 110,000 volts or more, and the distance must hold with the surrounding air at 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

### How close may a trimmer work?

Under 29 CFR 1910.269, a line clearance tree trimmer must keep 3.05 meters, 10 feet, from conductors energised at 50 kilovolts or less, adding 4 inches for every 10 kilovolts above 50, and a second trimmer must be within voice range in defined conditions.

### Does this replace our asset management system?

No. It sits beside it. The asset system stays the source for circuits and equipment. This holds the span level work record: what was planned, what was cut, what was refused and the evidence for each.

### Can it handle work on federal land?

Yes. Activities can be recorded against the approved plan or agreement they were carried out under, which is what a federal land manager asks about after the fact.

## Sources

- [43 U.S.C. 1772, vegetation management on federal rights of way](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/43/1772)
- [BLM, permanent instruction memorandum 2025-007](https://www.blm.gov/policy/pim2025-007)
- [US DOE, vegetation management](https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2024-11/111524_Vegetation_Management.pdf)
- [eCFR, 29 CFR 1910.269, electric power generation, transmission and distribution](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/29/1910.269)
- [California Public Resources Code 4293](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PRC&sectionNum=4293)

## Contact

- office@neurobird.com
- https://neurobird.com/