• Planned maintenance. Including tree pruning or felling. 
• Reactive pruning. Trimming vegetation with a high or demonstrated risk of interference with power lines. 
• Felling trees. Cutting down trees that are discovered to be at risk of falling on or otherwise threatening power lines. 
• Mowing. Maintaining the ground below the distribution power lines. 
• Herbicide application. Stumps cut to a height of three inches or less with an EPA-registered and -approved herbicide applied to control vegetation. 

Members are notified six-to-eight weeks before Dakota Electric begins pruning or removing trees in their area. Timing for scheduled maintenance projects depends on the size of the trimming area, workload for the crew and the weather. 

If you contact tree management to report a tree in the lines affecting your service, Dakota Electric will do its best to resolve the issue as safely and efficiently as possible. 

For more information, or to submit a request to tree management, visit www.dakotaelectric.com/contact-tree-management. 

Utili-Tech, a pole inspection contractor hired by Dakota Electric, is conducting annual pole inspections in Welch, Vasa, Red Wing and Webster Townships throughout July and August. The inspector will attempt to contact each member before performing inspections and might need to walk through backyards and private properties, as well as use an ATV to access certain pole locations. 

Please contact Dakota Electric at 651-463-6265 if you have questions or concerns about pole inspections.