USFS Identifies 27 Million Additional Dead Trees in California in 2017; PG&E Continues Critical Safety Work Removing Dead Trees

December 11, 2017

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–A new aerial survey released today by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS)
shows that trees continue to die at a rapid rate in California. Even
with record rains last winter and the drought declared over, these dead
trees continue to be a public safety hazard near roads, communities and
critical infrastructure. With public safety as its top priority, Pacific
Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has committed significant resources to
removing trees impacted by drought or bark beetle throughout its service
area. During 2017, PG&E expects to have removed approximately 148,000
dead or dying trees that could threaten its power lines. This is on top
of the 1.4 million trees it prunes or removes under its routine
vegetation management program each year.

The USFS announced it has identified an additional 27 million trees
since its last survey in November, 2016, bringing the total since 2010
to 129 million. Members of the Governor’s Tree Mortality Task Force,
made up of more than 80 state and federal agencies, local governments,
energy companies –including PG&E– and others have been working together
to address epidemic tree mortality.

“We have made significant progress to help reduce wildfire risk by
removing dead and dying trees, and we’re not slowing down. We will
continue this critical safety work in 2018 and expand our fuel
management efforts in high fire-risk areas,” said PG&E President and
Chief Operating Officer Nick Stavropoulos.

In 2018, PG&E’s expanded fuel management work within designated
high-fire risk areas will include: reducing vegetation near electric
distribution lines; providing access space for emergency responders;
maintaining existing fuel breaks and connecting new fuel breaks to
existing ones created by other private or public entities; and
performing long-term fuel management. This work may also be conducted in
areas previously cleared or impacted by wildfires and is above and
beyond state and federal mandated vegetation clearance requirements.

“As an elected leader in a severely impacted area, I’ve witnessed
first-hand the hard work and incredible support from PG&E to remove dead
and dying trees. Their continued commitment in 2018 speaks volumes about
their unwavering focus on safety and their customers,” said Madera
County Supervisor Tom Wheeler.

Tree Mortality Crisis Response

Since 2013, PG&E has invested $1.6 billion in its vegetation management
programs to reduce power outages and wildfire risks. Since the tree
mortality crisis began in 2014, PG&E added the following enhanced
measures to address areas particularly affected by drought and bark
beetles.

  • Increased foot and aerial patrols along power lines in high fire-risk
    areas to twice a year and up to four times a year in some locations.
  • Expects to patrol 65 percent of overhead power lines a second time
    this year.
  • Expects to remove approximately 148,000 dead or dying trees this year.
  • Since 2014, provided $11.5 million to local Fire Safe Councils (FSC)
    for fuel reduction projects in communities.
  • Provided $2 million to local FSCs for 28 highly-programmable
    remote-sensing cameras on critical fire lookout towers.
  • Launched daily aerial fire detection patrols to improve the spotting
    and speed of fire response.
  • Deployed LiDAR (Light-detecting and Ranging) remote sensing technology
    to help identify dead and dying trees near high voltage lines.

Additionally, PG&E is offering no-cost dead tree clean-up assistance to
customers with trees felled by PG&E to protect power lines in 11
counties which have declared tree mortality emergencies. The company
also is offering this service to customers in areas impacted by recent
wildfires. For more information or to sign up for the program, call
1-800-743-5000.

About PG&E

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas
and electric energy companies in the United States. Based in San
Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of
the nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in Northern and
Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/
and pge.com/news.

Contacts

PG&E Corporation
Media Relations, 415-973-5930