1/13/2015

ATC has some communities planning for spring planting

There may be ice and snow outside, but it’s not too early to think about planting – and many communities are getting some help from ATC. Through our Community Planting Program, we awarded 33 communities a total of $55,000 to plant trees and other vegetation on public property outside of the transmission line right-of-way.

To qualify, these communities committed to complying with ATC’s maintenance standards for all current and future planting plans and urban forestry activities near high-voltage electric transmission lines. The recipients received funding ranging from $500 to $4,000 for planting projects in communities where ATC facilities exist.

The 2014 Community Planting Program funding recipients include the following Wisconsin communities:

Algoma
Lisbon
Rib Mountain
Amherst
Manitowoc
Rhinelander
Bayside
Menasha
Spencer
Bellevue
Mequon
Stevens Point
Bristol
Merrill
Waterford        
Brooklyn
Oakdale
Waukesha
Cambridge
Oconto
Waupaca         
Fond du Lac
Ozaukee County           
Wescott           
Fort Atkinson
Pittsville
Wilson
Gilman
Prairie du Chien
Winnebago County
Kenosha County           
Princeton
Wisconsin Rapids
 

ATC’s Community Planting Program is part of our Grow Smart initiative – a program that promotes planting only low-growing, native vegetation near transmission line rights-of-way to help ensure public safety and the reliability of the electric system.
 

Need some more spring planting inspiration? Check out this video from the Milwaukee Co. Zoo’s Party for the Planet, where a Milwaukee-area Boy Scout troop helped replace invasive species with dozens of trees.