Walk the line: PGE vegetation work helps reduce outages by 60%
Sept. 01, 2026
Portland General Electric customers who live in areas at risk of wildfires have experienced more than a 60% reduction in power outages from 2021 to 2025 due to system hardening efforts such as undergrounding power lines, installing fire-resistant mesh wrap around power poles, and replacing wooden poles with ductile iron poles.
These system hardening investments, paired with wildfire prevention efforts such as wildfire detection cameras, high-tech weather stations and a robust vegetation management program, have helped improve system reliability while reducing wildfire risk.
Together, these proactive measures create a more resilient energy grid that can better withstand extreme weather and wildfire conditions, resulting in safer and more dependable service for customers.
One of the most hands-on components of that work happens on foot.
As wildfire season continues in the Pacific Northwest, PGE’s vegetation management crews literally “walk the line,” searching for hazardous vegetation near power lines as part of the company’s year-round wildfire prevention efforts and outage reduction strategy.
With more than 1,100 miles of power lines in areas at risk of wildfire, PGE forester Patrick Donovan emphasized the importance of having boots on the ground to get an up-close view of potentially hazardous trees in those areas.
“The expectation is that all foresters physically walk every span of power line. Just like when you walk through your own neighborhood, you’re going to notice a lot more than when you drive through it,” said Donovan.
For the remainder of wildfire season, foresters will collectively walk hundreds of miles beneath PGE power lines in areas at risk of wildfire, examining trees, limbs, and other vegetation that could threaten power lines. Once a hazard is identified, tree crews either trim the vegetation or, in some cases, remove a tree entirely.
During his more than 13 years with PGE, Donovan estimates he has walked at least 10,000 miles along power lines, often revisiting the same areas.
“In high-risk areas, we'll have gone through multiple times in a year. We’ll look at the same areas over and over to get a very good handle on where we see problems developing long term so we can mitigate those for the future,” he said.
Donovan said the repeated inspections help crews address emerging risks before they can cause outages or contribute to wildfire conditions.
“We want to do right by our customers, and we want to maintain the environment we live in. This is a beautiful place, and we want to preserve it for all Oregonians,” said Donovan.
From the foresters who walk thousands of miles to the crews who underground power lines, PGE continues work to reduce outages for customers and prevent wildfires for all Oregonians.
Walk the Line: Why our crews walk thousands of miles each year
About Portland General Electric Company
Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR) is an integrated energy company that generates, transmits and distributes electricity to nearly 960,000 customers serving an area of approximately 2 million Oregonians. Since 1889, Portland General Electric (PGE) has been powering economies, delivering safe, affordable and reliable electricity while working to transform energy systems to meet evolving customer needs. PGE continues to make progress toward emissions reduction targets, and customers have set the standard for prioritizing clean energy with the No. 1 voluntary renewable energy program in the country. PGE is ranked a top ten utility in the 2025 Forrester U.S. Customer Experience Index. In 2025, PGE employees and retirees volunteered over 18,300 hours to more than 400 nonprofit organizations. Through the PGE Foundation, along with corporate contributions and the employee matching gift program, more than $5 million was directed to charitable organizations supporting economic growth and community resilience across our service area. For information: portlandgeneral.com/news