Plant trees with safety in mind

Trees not only help beautify our neighborhoods, they also provide enough shade to reduce your electric bill in summer and serve as a windbreak in winter to help prevent heat loss from structures. The wrong trees in the wrong place, however, can be a hazard, especially to power lines.

Every year, McKenzie Electric Cooperative (MEC) line crews trim trees within the pruning zone designated by Rural Utilities Service line clearance standards.
This helps avoid outages caused by falling branches and protects electrical hardware from damage due to tree growth.

If you are planning to plant trees near distribution lines, keep the following clearance standards pictured below in mind:
• Planting within the right of way, 15 feet from the center of the pole, is prohibited.
• From there, any trees with a height of 30 feet or less are acceptable.
• If you are planning on planting large trees, like maple, oak, spruce or pine, it is suggested to plant these at a minimum of 50 feet away from the center of the pole to avoid falling limbs and damage to the distribution structure.

McKenzie County Soil Conservation District tree planting 

Windbreaks, sometimes called shelterbelts, are useful in preventing erosion caused by wind, and further protect livestock, wildlife, crops and structures. If you are planning to create a windbreak, or a long row of trees, our friends at the McKenzie County Soil Conservation District (MCSCD) have put together everything you need to know about their machine planting process. MCSCD’s machine planting takes place the end of April and continues through May.

1) When a producer contacts MCSCD wanting a tree planted, they determine the location of the planting by requesting either a physical address or the section, township and range of the planting, followed by setting up an onsite appointment.

2) Prior to the appointment, MCSCD staff will use Web Soil Survey to look up the soils in the designated planting area. These soils help determine which trees are suited for the planting site by their partner agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

3) The next step takes place onsite. MCSCD staff will walk the area, determine a resource concern and determine if a tree planting is the best source to fix the concern. The most common resource concern for tree plantings is wind erosion/protection.

4) Once a resource concern is established and trees can remedy the concern, MCSCD reviews the site to ensure the Web Soil Survey matches what is on the landscape.

5) MCSCD will then visit with the producer about rows, row spacings, any easements and any offsets. Row spacings can vary from 15, 18 or 20 feet, depending on space. Tree spacings vary from 5, 8 or 11 feet depending on species. Offsets are determined by NRCS standards and specifications. Planting requirements are as follows:

• 16 feet away from any property lines.
• 25 feet away from power lines.
• Required to have the most windward row 200 feet away from the nearest building or roadway on plantings running north and west.
• The most windward row must be 100 feet away from the nearest building or roadway on plantings running east and south.
• Discussing easements in the area is common nature. The producer is required to divulge any known easements and determine if a tree planting is allowed to go where it is planned.

6) The next step is determining available space for planting. MCSCD’s suggestion for an effective tree planting to protect from wind or sound should be at least a five-row shelterbelt with 20-foot row spacings,and a weed barrier.

7) When the layout of the plan has been determined, MCSCD then discusses species. Each producer is given a list of trees and shrubs suited for the designated planting area. MCSCD includes trees and shrubs, because an effective planting will incorporate both. Typically, if soils allow, the general five-row layout suggestion is 1) shrub 2) deciduous 3) conifer 4) deciduous 5) shrub.

8) Now that a tree plan has been created, MCSCD will determine the best route to prepare the ground. Ground preparation is the most important step in a machine tree planting. If the sod is not properly disked and tilled, the chances of air pockets around the roots increase when planting, which will result in the death of the tree. Sod is required to be disked in the fall prior to freeze-up and tilled in the spring before planting. Tilling is required in the spring only when planting in a field or if soil has been disturbed. Fall disking and spring tilling need to be 11 feet wide
and about 3 inches deep.

9) Now that important information has been gathered and a plan is sketched, MCSCD staff will use the information to create the final tree planting plan. Once the plan is finished, an appointment will be made with the producer to finalize the details, set up a planting schedule and receive a down payment. The down payment is 50% of the cost of the trees and is nonrefundable. This will ensure the trees are paid for if a producer cancels a planting after it has been ordered.

To get in contact with MCSDC, call 701-842-3628, find them on social media or stop by the USDA service center at 109 Fifth St. SW in Watford City. For members in the Dunn County area, the Dunn County Soil Conservation District can be contacted at 701-764-5646. The office is located at 105 Rodeo Dr. in Killdeer, or visit http://dunnscd.org.

For more information on your cooperative’s tree planting guidelines or an in-depth explanation of our vegetation management practices, call McKenzie Electric Cooperative at 701-444-9288. Remember when doing any kind of digging, tree planting included, always call 811 to locate underground utilities you might not know are below you.