Many power outages are caused by trees and limbs falling on power lines during bad weather, interrupting the continuous electrical service our members have come to expect. In 2020, Dakota Electric embarked on a five-year vegetation management plan allowing us to spot potential issues ahead of time, perform line maintenance and provide safe and reliable electric service to our members. We maintain power line clearance by following the guidelines below.

Dakota Electric’s vegetation management process includes:

• 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 inside or outside the right of way that are discovered to be at risk of falling on or otherwise threatening power lines.
• Mowing – maintaining the ground below the right of way.
• Herbicide application – stumps cut to a height of 3 inches or less with an EPA-registered and -approved herbicide applied to control vegetation.

When will tree crews come to my property?

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 quickly and safely as possible. For more information, or to submit a request to tree management, visit our Contact Tree Management page.

If you are planning a building or landscaping project, always call 811 before you dig. State and federal laws require marking all underground utilities before any excavation. Regardless of where you are building or planting, call Gopher State One Call to request a locate several days before digging. Call 811 or 1-800-252-1166, or visit www.gopherstateonecall.org. Facility marks are valid for 14 calendar days.