Right of Way Maintenance

Where Our Crews Are Trimming

Our contract crews are trimming the following townships:

  • Porter County: Porter, Boone, Morgan, and Pleasant Townships
  • LaPorte County: Dewey Township
  • Starke County: Wayne, Railroad, and California Townships
  • Pulaski County: Cass, Franklin, Jefferson, Monroe, Rich Grove, and White Post Townships

Preventive Tree Trimming

The same trees that beautify your landscape and provide shade for your home can also:

  • Be dangerous to your family
  • Cause potential problems with your electric service

Safety & Reliability

To protect you and your family as well as provide the most reliable electric service, KV REMC trims trees that may interfere with power lines.

It also allows us to:

  • Maintain reliable services
  • Save money in:
    • Power
    • Restoration costs
    • Line losses

Trimming keeps your family, your home, and our workers safe.

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

Planting Guidelines

You can help keep utility service reliable and homes safe by following KV REMC’s planting guidelines:

  • Call before you dig
  • Before planting a tree, 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 contact with the power lines
  • 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
  • When planting near power lines:
    • Plant low-growing shrubs
    • Tall, narrow trees at least 30 feet from the power lines
  • Consider planting utility-friendly trees such as:
    • Crape Myrtle
    • Dogwood
    • Eastern Redbud
    • Japanese Maple
    • Purpleleaf Plum
    • Star Magnolia
    • Yaupon
  • Do not plant tall growers within 50 to 75 feet of power lines:
    • Ash
    • Beech
    • Birch
    • Black Gum
    • Cedar
    • Chestnut
    • Chinaberry
    • Elm
    • Maple
    • Oak
    • Pecan
    • Pine
    • Poplar
    • Southern Magnolia

If you have any questions about planting shrubs or trees, please don’t hesitate to contact our office.

Right-of-Way Spraying Maintenance

Brush upkeep and tree trimming are a vital part of keeping your power flowing efficiently and safely. KV REMC’s contracts with trained, certified vegetation control specialists to take care of summer foliage that may pose a risk to the functionality of your electricity.

  • Kankakee Valley REMC schedules annual small woody plant chemical vegetation control.
  • The area of application will vary each year on a rotating basis
  • This service is provided by The Daltons

The Daltons

By the Indiana State Chemist, The Daltons are:

  • Certified
  • Fully Licensed

The Daltons avoid sensitive areas adjacent to the right-of-way such as:

  • Front yards
  • Tree plantations
  • Ornamental planting
  • Crops
  • Gardens
  • Lakes
  • Streams

Adjacent Right-of-Way Maintenance

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:

  • Call the REMC, (800) 552-2622 or The Daltons, (574) 267-7511
  • 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 your property that reads “No Spraying” – Make sure it’s legible and visible from the roadway.
  • Make sure all the brush is removed within that area by the deadline provided to you from the co-op, 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.

Please contact us with any questions regarding planting guidelines.