10/14/2026
🌲 Employee Spotlight: Meet the PUD’s Man of the Trees! 🌲
Trees are a major part of what makes Pend Oreille County such a beautiful place to live. They’re also one of the biggest challenges when it comes to keeping the PUD’s power system safe and reliable.
That’s where William Zurcher comes in.
As Pend Oreille PUD’s Vegetation Management Supervisor, William spends his days working with customers, coordinating the PUD’s tree crew, inspecting rights of way and looking for ways to better manage the trees and vegetation growing around power lines.
His day usually starts with a look at the work waiting on the board.
“I start by checking customer service orders and lineman requests, developing a plan with my tree crew, and checking for any plan changes,” William says.
From there, the work can take him in a lot of different directions. Some days are spent updating spreadsheets and documentation. Other days find him out on the road traveling across the county, looking for hazard trees or vegetation encroachment near PUD lines. He also works on developing the PUD’s drone program, which could provide another tool for identifying and managing vegetation throughout the system.
At the end of the day, William checks in with the tree crew, updates customer requests and lineman work orders, and keeps projects moving forward.
For William, however, vegetation management isn’t simply about cutting trees away from power lines. A big part of his job is helping customers understand their trees and how they interact with the electric system.
“My work helps serve customers directly by helping with their tree needs,” he says. “Whether it be removing a hazard tree, ensuring that their tree is healthy, or helping develop a long-term management plan with their trees in relationship to the power line.”
That customer interaction is one of the things William enjoys most about the job.
“I like to answer questions about trees, relationships to the power line and tree health,” he says. “I also like helping our rights of way look cleaner and healthier.”
That balance between protecting the power system and caring for the trees themselves is an important part of vegetation management. The goal isn’t simply to remove trees. It’s to identify potential problems, work with property owners and develop plans that make sense for both the customer and the PUD’s electric system.
William has been with the PUD for about a year and a half. What originally drew him to the organization was the people and the community.
“I was drawn to this company through the friendly and helpful employees, the readiness of the customers, and the innovation that we all look forward to as a team,” he says.
That spirit of innovation is also showing up in William’s work, particularly as the PUD looks at new technology such as drones to help monitor its extensive electric system and the vegetation growing around it.
When he’s not working, William still likes to spend plenty of time around trees. He also enjoys playing darts, trivia, finding new places to hang out and making new friends.
And, fittingly for someone whose work revolves around vegetation, he says there’s one thing he always enjoys:
“As always, being among the trees.”
Whether he’s answering a customer’s question, inspecting a potential hazard tree, coordinating the tree crew or looking for new ways to manage vegetation across the PUD’s system, William’s work helps keep Pend Oreille County’s trees and power lines living together a little more peacefully! 🌲
