Preventive Tree Trimming

The same trees that beautify your landscape and provide shade for your home can also be responsible for serious danger to your family and potential problems with the electric service for you and your neighbors. To protect you and your family and provide the most reliable electric service, Kankakee Valley REMC trims trees as part of a comprehensive reliability plan.

Why Do We Tree Trim?

• Safety: To protect your family, your property and our workers.
• Reliability: Continuing to provide our members with the reliable service they expect from their utility provider.
• Savings: Saving money in power restoration costs & line losses.

Which Trees Get Trimmed?

• Trees and limbs within 10 feet of the power lines.
• Trees with limbs growing through or around power lines.
• Branches growing above lines where snow and ice can sag limbs into the lines.
• Weak and leaning trees that pose a threat to the power lines.

How Can You Help?

• When planting near power lines, plant low growing shrubs or tall narrow trees at least 30 feet from the power lines.
• Plant safe, plant smart.
• Contact the REMC for planting guidelines.

The effectiveness of our tree trimming program depends on our ability to obtain the proper clearance of trees from the power lines. Please keep the safety of your family and neighbors in mind, along with the reliability of your electric service, as our tree trimming contractor performs his work in your area. This can only be accomplished with your help.

Planting Guidelines

Before planting a tree, look up; consider the mature size of the tree. Trees that will mature over 15 feet in height should be planted well outside the right of way corridor to avoid future contacts with the power lines. Most importantly, call before you dig. Keep these trees in mind when planning your landscape at your home. Utility-friendly trees are Crape Myrtle, Dogwood, Eastern Redbud, Japanese Maple, Purpleleaf Plum, Star Magnolia and Yaupon. Measure 15 feet from the power line and then half the distance of the width of the trees spread when fully grown. This is as close as you should plant to the power line. Try not to plant these tall growers within 50 to 75 feet of power lines: Ash, Beech, Birch, Black Gum, Cedar, Chestnut, Chinaberry, Elm, Maple, Oak, Pecan, Pine, Poplar, and Southern Magnolia.

If you have any questions regarding planting shrubs or trees, please feel free to contact our office.

Click here to view guidelines for planting near overhead powerlines.

Click here to view guidelines for planting near underground transformers.

Vegetation Control – (Herbicide)

In addition to tree trimming, Kankakee Valley REMC schedules regular vegetation control each year. A contractor is scheduled to be on our system in early to mid September. The area of application will vary each year on a rotating basis. Watch our June, July and August newsletters for more specific information describing the area for each year.

The Daltons Company of Warsaw, Indiana has provided this service for Kankakee Valley REMC to perform brush and small woody plant chemical variegation control. The Daltons is fully licensed and certified to do this work by the Indiana State Chemist. Herbicides used are EPA approved. During the spray operation, The Daltons take care to avoid sensitive area (such as front yards, tree plantations, ornamental planting, crops, gardens, lakes and streams) adjacent of the right-of-way.

If you would prefer to maintain the right-of-way adjacent to your land in some other fashion, such as mowing, please follow these instructions:

1. Call the REMC, 800-552-2622 or The Daltons, (888) 267-7511, with your questions concerning this right-of-way maintenance.
2. When your area is identified in the REMC newsletter as the area to be maintained, post a sign on the right-of-way at each end of the your property that reads “NO SPRAYING”. Make sure it’s legible and visible from the roadway.
3. Make sure all the brush is removed within that area by August 1st and continue to maintain it. If the brush is not removed, then we must treat the brush as part of our vegetation management program.

We need and truly appreciate your cooperation each year to maintain a good right-of-way program.