West Virginia Division of Highways road crews completed canopy clearing for the 2025-2026 season, cutting back branches and brush overhanging roadways in all 55 counties, according to a press release from the West Virginia Division of Highways.
Canopy clearing — removing branches that hang over roadways — is a vital part of long-term highway maintenance. Opening the canopy allows sunlight to reach the pavement, helping ice thaw more quickly in winter and rain dry faster in other seasons, which prolongs pavement life.
“Water is our number one enemy,” State Highway Engineer Jake Bumgarner said. “Clearing the canopy helps get that sunlight down to the roadway to dry the roadway out and allow the road to last longer.”
Federal law restricts canopy clearing to between November 15 and March 31 to protect Indiana Bat habitat. The bats live in trees during spring and fall and move to caves in winter.
Prior to 2022, clearing was limited to 140 total acres per year — 14 per district. That restriction was lifted in 2022.
From November 15, 2025 through March 31, 2026, crews cleared approximately 313 acres of canopy. That translates to 1,821 miles of roadway cleared, counting only branches directly over the road — a distance equal to flying from Charleston to Venezuela or driving west to Nevada.
“And no bats were harmed in the process,” Bumgarner said.
