ELECTRIC POWER TRANSMISSION LINES SITED ABOVE GROUND REQUIREA CLEARED RIGHT OF WAY.

ELECTRIC POWER TRANSMISSION LINES SITED ABOVE GROUND REQUIREA CLEARED RIGHT OF WAY. WHEN THE RIGHT OF WAY TRANSITS WOODED AREAS SAFE OPERATION REQUIRES THE REMOVAL OF FOLIAGE INTRUDING INTO THE RIGHT OF WAY SPACE. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO CONSTRUCT A LASER, PHOTON BEAM, TRIMMER FOR CUTTING THROUGH VEGETATIVE MATTER. THE TECHNOLOGY FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A LASER CAPABLE OF PENETRATING LIGNOCELLULOSICS EXISTS. OUR PROPOSED TASK IS TO DESIGN A COST-EFFECTIVE MACHINE CAPABLE OF RELIABLE OPERATION AT WILDERNESS SITES, I.E., IN THE FIELD. WE ENVISION A SELF-CONTAINED TRIMMER USING A HIGH POWER CARBON DIOXIDE LASER TO CUT OUT AND TRIM AND A LOW POWER HELIUM NEON LASER FOR RANGING AND AS A SAFETY INTERLOCK SYSTEM PREVENTING OPERATION OF THE LASER WHEN NO TARGET IS PRESENT.THE PURPOSE OF PHASE I IS TO DETERMINE THE COMMERCIAL AVAILABILITY OF THE NECESSARY SUBSYSTEMS, THE FEASIBILITY OF PACKAGING THESE INTO A PORTABLE UNIT, AND TO SPECIFY COMPONENTS FOR THE PHASE II PROTOTYPE.