Promoting sustainable resource management principles and practices along rights-of-way

Right-of-Way Stewardship Council Welcomes New Council Member

New Council Member Brings Research, Data Analysis, and Leadership Expertise 

(Mpls, MN) - August 23, 2023 - The Right-of-Way Stewardship Council (ROWSC) is pleased to welcome new member Carolyn Mahan to the Council as an Academic/Research representative. Council members are responsible for the strategic guidance and oversight of the ROWSC as well as final authority for all accreditations. 


Carolyn G. Mahan, Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies at Penn State 

Carolyn G. Mahan holds a PhD in Wildlife Science from Penn State and a BS (Natural Resources Management Engineering) from the University of Connecticut. Research interests include biodiversity in threatened ecosystems, effects of human-modified landscapes (including rights-of-way) on wildlife, and behavioral ecology of mammals. Her work has been published in Conservation Biology, Journal of Mammalogy, and PLOS One among others. Dr. Mahan served on the boards of Pennsylvania Wildlife Society, Pennsylvania Center for Private Forests, and is past-president of Pennsylvania Biological Survey. She currently serves on Governor Shapiro’s Advisory Council for Conservation.  Details on her rights-of-way research can be found at:  https://sites.psu.edu/transmissionlineecology/


The ROWSC has established standards for preserving and maintaining transmission system rights-of-way. To meet the technical requirements, utilities must implement Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM), which balances the control of incompatible species with favoring desirable low-growing shrubs and grasses that don’t obstruct transmission lines or utility access. By populating transmission corridors with compatible species, utilities can reduce the need to control those incompatible species and the associated impacts and costs. Utilities must apply to the ROWSC to start the accreditation process. As part of the process, the ROWSC performs a field audit and assessment, comparing all aspects of a utility’s IVM program to the principles and criteria set forth in the latest standards.  


For more information, visit: http://www.rowstewardship.org



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About Right-of-Way Stewardship Council


Right-of-Way Stewardship Council is an accreditation program led by a diverse group of stakeholders including industry, government, academia, and environmental NGOs, in order to provide standards of excellence for environmental stewardship along rights-of-way (ROW) and presents the opportunity for utility companies to demonstrate their commitment to such standards. It establishes standards for responsible ROW vegetation management within high-voltage electric transmission corridors. The aim of the program is to promote the application of integrated vegetation management and best management practices to the utility vegetation management industry in order to maintain power system reliability and address ecological concerns.

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Right-of-Way Stewardship Council

The Right-of-Way Stewardship Council (ROWSC) is an accreditation program that has established standards for responsible right-of-way vegetation management along corridors. The program promotes the application of Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM) and best management practices to utility vegetation managers in order to maintain power system reliability and address ecological concerns.

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