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Electricity is a fundamental part of society, and ensuring its reliability for industries and households is essential for societal functioning. The growing reliance on electricity heightens our vulnerability to power outages, which can disrupt numerous societal functions. Enhancing the resilience of power grids against disruptions, particularly those caused by falling trees and encroaching vegetation, is imperative. With climate change scenarios leading to more frequent and intense extreme weather events, significant threats to power grids are increasing. Additionally, vegetation near powerlines can cause outages and safety hazards, necessitating effective vegetation management.

Technological advancements, such as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), offer new opportunities for monitoring and managing vegetation near powerlines. These technologies enable more accurate and efficient identification of potential risk zones, allowing for proactive management strategies. In Sweden, power outages due to falling trees are a common issue, with significant increases in outages during severe weather events like storms.

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze tree areas that could pose a danger to powerlines due to their height if they fall, focusing on three different levels: the transmission, regional, and local electrical grids in the area of Sörfors. The method that was used involved the usage of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and commercially available LiDAR-data acquired from SLU.

The analysis revealed significant variation in the potential danger posed by trees to the powerlines among the transmission, regional, and local grids. The local grid is the most exposed to tall trees, while the regional powerline also is exposed in close proximity to some tall trees. The transmission grid, however, is safeguarded from tree-related dangers in the examined powerline corridor. To further enhance such analyses, higher resolution LiDAR data and precise geographical locations of the powerline poles and cables should be obtained.