AEP Ohio’s forestry program is critical to keeping the power on — making sure that its power lines and equipment are free of trees and brush that could potentially cause outages for customers. For more than a year, the forestry crew’s work has served a dual purpose by providing a portion of the trees they regularly trim to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and The Wilds for the benefit of the animals. Today, members of AEP Ohio’s forestry team visited The Wilds to celebrate the impact of the unique Trim to Treat partnership.

The fresh tree trimmings, branches and twigs — also known as browse — are not only important to the animals’ diets, but also beneficial for enrichment. The forestry team identifies and bundles the fresh tree trimmings, branches and twigs during their normal forestry work in the Zanesville and Cambridge areas — making deliveries to The Wilds as needed — usually on a monthly basis.

“It’s wonderful to see the impact of the Trim to Treat partnership firsthand. As foresters, we love trees, and the opportunity we have to repurpose them to benefit the animals in our community is powerful,” said AEP Ohio forestry manager, Dale Hopkins.

The Trim to Treat partnership has been underway for more than a year now and the impact is significant. Below are a few highlights:

• Over 800 animals benefited from the Trim to Treat partnership.
• The AEP Ohio forestry team has provided a total of 70 miles of fresh tree trimmings to both the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and The Wilds.
• AEP Ohio forestry has delivered 14 loads of willow tree browse to The Wilds.
• The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium uses 10,000 linear feet of fresh tree trimmings a week for its animals and AEP Ohio provides 6-7,000 feet of it.

“We’re excited about the success of this partnership over the last year and look forward to continuing to work with AEP Ohio’s forestry team to benefit the animals at The Wilds and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium,” said Dr. Joe Smith, Vice President of The Wilds.

AEP Ohio assesses and trims trees on a four-year cycle to help minimize power outages for its customers, while also keeping in mind the health and beauty of the trees in communities across Ohio.

To learn more about the partnership and how it works, visit AEPOhio.com/Trim-to-Treat.