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

Every year, McKenzie Electric Cooperative (MEC) line crews trim trees that are within the tree pruning zone designated by RUS line clearance standards. This helps avoid outages caused by falling branches and protects electrical hardware from damage due to growth. If you are planning to plant trees near distribution lines, keep the following clearance standards in mind. Planting within the right of way, 15’ from the center of the pole, is prohibited. From there, any trees with a 30’ or less height are acceptable. If you plan on planting large trees like maple, oak, spruce, or pine it is suggested to plant these at a minimum of 50’ away from the center of the pole to avoid falling limbs and damage to the distribution structure.

For more information on your cooperative’s tree planning 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.