Lake Alice Vegetation Maintenance

Lake Alice Vegetation Maintenance to be Conducted Over Spring Break

Duke Energy—in coordination with UF, including input from the University’s Lakes, Vegetation, and Landscaping Committee—will conduct routine vegetation management along Mowry Road near the Lake Alice Conservation Area the week of March 5-12 as part of its regular work to maintain its electrical transmission lines on the University of Florida campus.

The work will be performed during UF’s spring break for safety and to minimize traffic disruption. Crews will work from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pedestrian traffic along Mowry Road will be professionally managed and redirected. A full schedule of work being done can be found here.

Duke Energy and UF have worked closely together to evaluate vegetation that needs trimming and removal within the power line easement to ensure consistent electrical service while prioritizing the ecological value of the affected vegetation.

Duke Energy has identified about a dozen trees that need trimming and approximately 20 that need to be removed within Duke Energy’s easement boundary, characterized by one or more of the following challenges:

• Unsafe height, age, and proximity to line.
• State or federal transmission management compliance risk.
• Reliability issues related to vegetation maturity and/or systemic defects.
• Proximity to line that would require removal of more than 1/3 of the canopy.

Duke Energy will hand-cut and mechanically remove damaged or distressed trees, fast-growing, and/or re-sprouting species from a portion of the utility easement. Targeted species primarily include red maple, Chinese tallow (invasive species), willow, laurel oak and water oak.

The UF Lakes, Vegetation, and Landscaping Committee has been made aware of the maintenance and provided input during the planning process. To minimize disturbance and enhance the wetland edge, UF staff and faculty have collaborated with Duke Energy to identify existing and emerging native vegetation solutions that can be maintained within the utility easement.

Replanting efforts will take place over a couple of weeks after the Duke crews have completed the maintenance work. This effort will enhance ecosystem functions by planting native grasses, flowering plants, and other low-growing vegetation, which will reduce the need for trimming or removal in the future.

A complete list of the native plants added to the Lake Alice Conservation Area can be found here. If you would like to volunteer and help with this planting effort, please contact the UF Office of Sustainability at info@sustainability.ufl.edu. Questions relating to the maintenance, please contact fscommunications@ad.ufl.edu.