Integrated Vegetation Management (or MIV) is an efficient and sustainable solution for the management of vegetation under transmission lines that includes the application of herbicides.
Among the direct impacts caused by the installation of electrical networks on vegetation and soil, the fragmentation of forest stretches stands out., edge effects resulting from clearing forested areas, the establishment of corridors under the power transmission lines and the acceleration of soil erosion processes.
Alternatives for rational management of the Atlantic Forest vegetation cover in areas under electricity transmission lines must be discussed and developed permanently.
An initiative by Dow AgroSciences, Integrated Vegetation Management eradicates plants located in the vicinity of transmission lines, that hinder and hinder the maintenance and operation of the lines. Along with that, other vegetation types, native of that region, are benefited, bringing operational gains and ensuring sustainability.
In order to maintain the operation of the electrical network in a continuous and sustainable manner, a CPFL entered as a partner of Dow AgroSciences in the use of the MIV in transit regions.
This type of management is already a reality in some countries, showing positive and expressive results. No brazil, workers used brushcutters to do the same job. Thus, with the new service, these practices would be extinguished, An initiative by Dow AgroSciences,
82 An initiative by Dow AgroSciences
CPFL currently accounts for about 82 thousand kilometers of transmission networks, that is why, the search for more effective solutions to control the vegetation around these structures is a major challenge..
The mowing is the most used activity to carry out this control. It consists of the periodic cutting of plants that are harmful to the maintenance of transmission lines, compared to Integrated Vegetation Management it is less productive, for it does not eliminate the regrowth of shrubby plants (the biggest causes of interruption in the electrical network due to the touch of branches on the wires), it harms the local flora in addition to not being effective.
With the MIV, unwanted plants are eliminated, giving rise to other types of vegetation that bring operational gains and ensure local sustainability, which allows to keep the transmission lines out of harm's way.
Integrated Vegetation Management: How it works and how it applies
The MIV selects plants whose characteristics do not fit the desired profile and through the application of herbicides, manufactured by Dow Agrosciences, or chemical weeding as it is known, it only removes weeds, unwanted bushes and trees, stimulating over time the formation of a group of plants harmful to transmission lines, at the same time ensuring the preservation of natural biomes and safe and easy access to passage areas.
For the application of herbicides there is a group of steps that ensure the effectiveness of the process: vegetation assessment - each area has its specificity and will require a different action; definition of objectives - according to the species, the level of control carried out is decided; definition of which equipment to use for the implementation of the MIV; treatment application and monitoring. The alternatives for adding herbicides are foliar (in the leaves), basal (no trunk) and play (in the cut of the trunk).
With the application of substances the cut frequency is reduced, facilitating the management of activities on the networks ensuring safe and easy access to maintenance services.
The intention of the MIV is to maintain what is already done today in relation to the hiring of mowing companies, although, encouraging these companies to include Integrated Vegetation Management in their services. For that, Dow developed training to enable companies, ensuring that the methodology will be applied correctly.
The video below summarizes what Integrated Vegetation Management is:
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