Published June 24. 2021 12:12PM
BY SUSAN BRYANT
sbryant@tnonline.com
PPL Electric Utilities recently delivered a large truck load of tree trimmings from its vegetation management program to the Lehigh Valley Zoo, Schnecksville.
The tree trimmings delivered on June 8 will feed the giraffe and other zoo animals.
Zoo animals benefit from the fresh food and enrichment while reducing the need to purchase food.
The tree trimmings, “browse,” came from the site of a recent fire near the zoo.
A PPL aerial cable splice failed and set fire to brush on a hillside below the zoo on May 20.
Rather than running the tree trimmings through a wood chipper, PPL delivered the leafy branches to the zoo.
PPL proactively trims trees along 35,000 miles of overhead power lines as trees are the top cause of storm-related outages.
Despite experiencing more severe weather in 2020 than previous years, the innovative approach allowed PPL to reduce tree-related outages by 14 percent compared to the previous year without increasing costs.
The vegetation management work is conducted by certified forestry experts and tree contractor Asplundh.
PRESS PHOTOS BY DALTON MILLER Stephen Dahl of PPL Electric Utilities watches as Lehigh Valley Zoo keeper Kayla Hollahan feeds Tattoo trimmings delivered by PPL.
Tattoo helps himself to the trimmings delivered to the Lehigh Valley Zoo by PPL Electric Utilities.
The trimmings PPL Electric Utilities delivered to feed the animals of the Lehigh Valley Zoo.
The giraffe barn houses Tattoo at the Lehigh Valley Zoo.