Mechanical methods include tree felling and mowing. Manual methods refer to tree pruning. Depending on the area, co-ops may use a heavy duty mower to mow down small trees and shrubs. They may cut down trees that hang perilously near power lines, or a dead tree that might endanger the power line. They may prune trees in your yard that could come into contact with the power line.
Mechanical clearing is usually the first stage of the ROW maintenance process.
But the need for this type of invasive management is becoming less and less frequent, because new herbicidal technologies help keep tree growth down while allowing wildflowers and other herbaceous growth to flourish. Most co-ops use the backpack method in neighborhoods to keep the herbicide distribution selective and to keep the herbicide from drifting. Each co-op uses only trained and licensed personnel to apply herbicides. Sprouts grow back from the tree roots after having been mechanically cut. Crews walk through these ROW areas and apply an herbicide droplet mixture directly to the tree sprouts, so only those trees are controlled.