The US Forest Service has issued a final regulation regarding the mitigation of hazard trees that may impact the safety of power transmission facilities on National Forest System lands. The regulation implements a new law enacted in 2018 as part of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA). That law established requirements for the approval of permit operating plans for powerline facility maintenance and vegetation management related to the pruning and removal of hazard trees both within and abutting the permit area. The regulations set out the standards for ensuring the operating plans address trees that would likely cause substantial damage or disruption to a transmission or distribution facility if those trees fell.
The new regulations are set out at 36 CFR Part 251.