ST. LOUIS — 5 On Your Side received a first-hand look at Ameren Missouri's tree-eating machine.
Ameren Missouri said the equipment will help prevent power outages and other problems before storms hit.
Nick Henderson, Vegetation Management Manager for Ameren Missouri, said within seconds a tree that could cause some issues in the future is taken down with one swipe.
"Our main objective out here is to prevent outages," he said.
Known as the Brontosaurus, Henderson said, the machine supports energy reliability; particularly when mother nature isn't on our side.
"We definitely had a historic storm year this year at Ameren, I think the worst in 15 years for Missouri," he said.
The tree-eating machine has been utilized for several projects, including the Chain of Rocks Water Treatment Plant.
According to Henderson, they're hopeful that clearing these trees will reduce storm-related outages that led to boil water advisories over the summer.
"As we rebuild infrastructure, upgrade infrastructure, storm harden our infrastructure, this piece of equipment allows us to reclaim a lot of our easements that over time have kind of had brush grown into," he said.
Ameren Missouri said this machine is ten times more efficient than the usual tree-trimming methods.
What takes one worker and the machine just one day to complete would normally take several workers a whole week to get the job done, according to Henderson.
"It's a really, really efficient way for us to do this work. It's a really safe way for us to do this work," he said.
Henderson said crews are proactively trimming trees year-round, along more than 4,000 miles of power lines, which benefits workers greatly.
"It keeps people on the ground in the machine instead of up in the tree at a height of 30, 40, 50 feet," he said.
It also benefits us at home too, according to Henderson.
"It's really a cost benefit to our customers long term for us to be able to reclaim these easements and then be able to have a lower cost profile down the road with them," he said.
With every limb that's taken down, Henderson said, one main goal still stands.
"Our main objective is the safety and reliability of our electrical grid, so that's why we're out here," he said.
If you have trees near power lines at your home, Ameren Missouri said it's important for you to know the health of your trees.
You can also have someone from Ameren come out and do an assessment on your property.