UPDATED 2/22/11, 6:15 p.m., with more information about number of hybrid vehicles, cost of new trucks

In a roundabout way, it would make sense that new trucks that are to be used for tree maintenance would wind up being environmentally friendly vehicles.

Those two new trucks – hybrids that operate both on electricity and on diesel fuel – will bring the total of hybrid vehicles used by the Howard County government to 91.

"Local government should always strive to put our words into action, and I believe the introduction of these trucks to our county fleet reinforces our commitment to both sustainability and savings," Howard County Executive Ken Ulman said in a statement last week.

The vehicles will be put into service this spring as part of the county bureau of highway's tree maintenance division.

When the truck has equipment operating, such as equipment for overhead tree trimming, the vehicle will run solely on battery power, eliminating the diesel emissions that would be released if the engine were allowed to idle, according to county spokesman Kevin Enright.

The county has been transitioning to a hybrid fleet, such as with its Howard Transit buses. Officials estimate the transition will save the county tens of thousands of dollars a year.

The two trucks cost a total of $445,846, $122,753 of which was funded through a grant provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Last year the county added three electric buses to its fleet – full-size, lightweight buses that do not get plugged in, but rather power up by parking on top of a large pad and charging through something called electromagnetic induction.