Through pilot program, company is working
to create 225 pollinator-friendly acres by 2025
AKRON,
Ohio, June 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/
-- FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) is on track to exceed its goal
of developing 225 acres of pollinator habitat across its service
territory by 2025, including the creation of new habitat in
transmission right of ways, at its utility substation properties
and at parks and nature preserves. After beginning with a pilot
program in 2020, the company has expanded the initiative within its
service territory and is on pace to reach nearly 190
pollinator-friendly acres by the end of third quarter in 2022.
Insects and small animals that pollinate plants, such as birds,
bats, bees, butterflies and beetles, help to sustain ecosystems. By
helping plants reproduce, they play a vital role in producing
natural resources such as fruits and vegetables, preventing soil
erosion and increasing carbon sequestration.
Many pollinator populations are in decline due to a loss in
feeding and nesting habitats, according to Pollinator Partnership,
a nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection and promotion
of pollinators and their ecosystems. The organization initiated and
manages Pollinator Week, an annual celebration in support of
pollinator health that runs from June
20-26 this year.
In early 2020, FirstEnergy's transmission vegetation
management group established a pilot program to find opportunities
to restore work areas following transmission construction projects
with flowering vegetation to develop a pollinator-friendly habitat.
The company worked with a horticulturist in Meadville, Pennsylvania, to develop two seed
mixes with more than 20 flowering species which are native
throughout the six states in which FirstEnergy operates. One of the
mixes contains added grasses that will help it take root along
steep slopes, and both mixes can be used across the company's
service territory.
FirstEnergy's 2022 plans include the development of 90
pollinator-friendly acres by the end of the third quarter. In
April, the company seeded 28 acres at a substation property in
Potomac Edison's service territory in the Eastern Panhandle of
West Virginia, and in May the
company seeded an additional 25 acres at a new transmission
substation and line in Trumbull County,
Ohio, as well as 14 acres at a substation in southwestern
Pennsylvania. The company is also
conducting follow-up site inspections and examining best practices
for pollinator cultivation after seeding, including invasive
species prevention and strategic mowing to promote native
pollinator species.
"Environmental stewardship is a key part of our company's
mission, and with this initiative, we are taking steps to increase
biodiversity through the responsible replacement of vegetation and
supporting the creation of pollinator habitats across our service
territory," said Michael Haines,
supervisor of transmission construction vegetation management, who
is managing the program.
FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and
operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form
one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems,
serving customers in Ohio,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West
Virginia, Maryland and
New York. The company's
transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of
transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic
regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com and
on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp.
Editor's Note: Photos of pollinator habitat developed by
FirstEnergy are available for download on Flickr
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.