MVEC to Ramp Up Vegetation Management Program in 2025

While we have all heard that trees and power lines don’t mix, did you know that trees and brush account for 40% to 50% of MVEC’s power outages? Each year, MVEC invests in tree trimming and vegetation management across our service territory. After reviewing outage causes over the last several years, MVEC is planning to increase our vegetation management budget significantly in 2025. In order to keep up with tree trimming needs, we plan to hire two outside contractors that will assist with line clearing over the course of 2025. The increased investment in vegetation management will decrease the number of tree-related outages and help maintain the reliability that you have come to expect from our electric grid.

For 2025, we plan to focus on the following substation areas:
• Maquoketa
• Spragueville
• Van Buren
• Sherrill
• Holy Cross

To provide electric reliability and personal safety, it is important that crews for MVEC periodically trim trees and underbrush around power lines in your area. Tree limbs and power lines are a bad combination, especially with storms involving high winds and/or ice. Time spent clearing trees from power lines can result in extended periods of outage time. The average tree outage takes around three hours to restore service. Clearing underbrush is equally important for efficient power restoral when power lines are on the ground. Trained crews will trim trees and underbrush around primary transmission and distribution lines. Many factors are considered when trimming, such as the effect of ice on the limbs, how fast-growing the tree or underbrush is and how many repeat trips will be needed. Fast-growing trees may need to be trimmed back more than slow-growing trees.

What to Expect
MVEC crews and contractors trim trees with electric grid safety and reliability in mind, not aesthetics. The goal is to trim no more than what is necessary (generally 20 ft on either side of the power line) for safety and electric service reliability. Tree stumps and logs are the property and responsibility of the landowner. In maintained yard areas, branches and small debris are generally left piled together, in other areas they are left to decompose where they are cut. Larger limbs will be left on the member’s property in a contained area when possible.

“MVEC continually strives to maintain and improve the reliability of the service we provide,” said Dan Schulte, Operations Director. “Vegetation management is a big factor when it comes to reliability and outage restoration. This year, MVEC management and the Board of Directors are making a significant investment in our system’s integrity that will allow us to continue to provide the level of superior service our members deserve and expect.”

For more information or for our right of way brochure, visit: mvec.coop/tree-trimming