Tree Trimming and Planting

Tree and limb contact with power lines is one of the most frequent causes of outages. Members can reduce interruptions and prevent outages with proper tree selection, planting, and maintenance.

Tree Planting

What to Plant

When making landscape design decisions, consider the following:

  • Climate
  • Care and maintenance
  • Appearance
  • Location
  • Overall size (mature height)

Certain species of trees, both deciduous and coniferous, are better for planting near power lines, some of which can be found in both shrub and tree form. Nursery professionals can help determine the best options, which may include:

  • Maple
  • Dogwood
  • Hawthorn
  • Flowering Crabapple
  • Chokecherry
  • Arborvitae
  • Shrubs

Where to Plant

The right tree planted in the right location provides environmental, economic, and aesthetic benefits for the property owner and the community. To maintain the beauty of your landscaping, public safety, and reliability of electric service, it’s important to ensure that any tree planting does not interfere with any overhead or underground utility lines.

Call Before You Dig State and federal laws require marking of all underground utilities before any excavation. Regardless of where you are planting, call Gopher State One Call to request a locate several days before digging. Call 811 or 1-800-252-1166. Facility marks are valid for 14 calendar days.

The Right Tree

Great River Energy and its member cooperatives, including Connexus Energy, have partnered with Minnesota Power and Tree Trust to provide the informative booklet, The Right Tree: A Guide to Proper Tree Selection and Planting Near Power Lines. The guide covers size, location, species, and care, among other important topics, and includes expert information from resources including University of Minnesota Extension and the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Download a copy of the guide.

Tree Trimming/Right-Of-Way Maintenance

The National Electric Safety Code, which sets guidelines for the safeguarding of utility workers and the general public in relation to electrical equipment, requires the maintenance of proper tree clearance in the utility easement.

Connexus Energy utilizes professional pruning methods to trim trees. Members will be mailed a postcard when crews will be in your neighborhood; this may be your only notice, so watch for this postcard.

2017 Scheduled Tree Trimming

  • Martin Lake
  • Forest Lake
  • Blaine
  • Lino Lakes

Systematic Line Maintenance

Connexus Energy may, from time to time, conduct a systematic program of right-of-way maintenance. Connexus Energy will trim, cut, or remove the tree that, in its judgment, may cause an interruption in service, endanger Connexus Energy electric lines, or present a safety hazard. Connexus Energy may also utilize approved herbicides in its line maintenance program. Connexus Energy will make a reasonable effort to inform members of its line maintenance program prior to starting the work.

Where possible, offending trees shall be removed entirely. Tree trimming must provide at least 10 feet of clearance from Connexus Energy’s conductors, provided, however, that Connexus Energy reserves the right to trim, cut, or remove trees farther than 10 feet from Connexus Energy’s conductors, if Connexus Energy determines that this additional clearance is necessary to accomplish the purposes of its line maintenance program. Any tree trimming, cutting, or removal shall conform to any recorded easements. By receiving the electric service from Connexus Energy, the member is deemed to consent to Connexus Energy’s entrance on the member’s property to trim, cut, or remove trees and other vegetation, including the application of approved herbicides, as Connexus Energy determines to be necessary for its line maintenance program.

Special Trimming

Connexus Energy will trim or cut trees that, in its opinion, endanger Connexus Energy’s electric lines. In such cases where a property owner wants a tree removed, and Connexus Energy’s electric wires present an obstacle, Connexus Energy will, during regular working hours, (1) remove the lines temporarily while the work is being done by the owner, or (2) fall the tree and leave the clean-up work to be done by the owner; in both cases, no charge will be assessed to the owner.

Storm Damaged Trees

If trees have been damaged by a storm, cutting and trimming will be done at the discretion of Connexus Energy in order to remove the danger and repair the lines. Clean-up work and any yard damage, including ruts from equipment or damage to other trees resulting from falling limbs/trees, in such cases shall be the responsibility of the property owner/member.

Member-Owned

Connexus Energy is not responsible for the following:

  • Trimming or removal of trees that endanger the owner’s own lines located beyond the point of service.
  • Trimming and/or removing shrubs to gain access to pad-mount equipment on a utility easement. Damages to shrubs caused when accessing the equipment shall be repaired by the member. Authorized agents of Connexus Energy will take the necessary precautions to try to minimize the damages when practical.