Vegetation Management Projects

Crow Wing Power schedules maintenance to provide tree clearance for a period of six or more years. The cost of vegetation management is shared equally by all Crow Wing Power members.

• Landscape Trees
  • Trees planted under lines and trees requiring severe pruning are selected for removal. Stumps are not removed.
  • Trees located outside the power line right-of-way are pruned as needed.
  • Branches from live trees are chipped, and larger wood is left on site.
• Beyond the Home Landscape
  • A 20-30 foot corridor is cleared of trees and brush.
  • Trees located outside the cleared corridor that pose a danger to the lines are cut down.
  • Debris from clearing is mulched on site or left at the edge of the corridor. Wood is the property of the landowner. 

Trees contacting power lines are a primary cause of power outages. When tree limbs grow too close to power lines, hey can cause damage or interrupt service. They may also create a safety hazard. Electrical shock can occur when a person touches a tree that is in contact with a live wire, especially during damp weather. Trees in contact with wires have also caused wildfires. A clear right-of-way allows access for line personnel and equipment to restore power after a storm.

When feasible, lines can be moved or located underground at the member's expense.

Crow Wing Power’s Right-of-Way Department manages vegetation within and adjacent to power line right-of-ways in a cost-effective manner that ensures safe conditions for its employees and the public; reliable uninterrupted electrical service to its members; clear access to lines for maintenance; and reduced workloads for future maintenance.  Studies, combined with years of experience, have shown that the careful use of herbicides is the most efficient and effective way to keep right-of-ways clear of trees and brush.

Herbicide use promotes beneficial grasses and wildflowers growing in the right-of-ways by reducing competition for moisture and sun-light.

The herbicides Crow Wing Power uses work on enzymes found only within plants, not people or animals. These compounds, targeting only smaller, nuisance, tree species, enter through leaves and stems to control the plant from the inside. All products are approved for use in the right-of-ways by the U.S. EPA and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.  MSDS sheets with information on the herbicides are available upon request. The EPA approves such products for use only after determining they will not adversely affect people, animals or the environment when properly applied.

Crow Wing Power utilizes an herbicide “best management practice” that is accepted and promoted by the electric utility industry to provide cost-effective right-of-way vegetation management. Herbicides are half the cost of any other vegetation management method, and the costs decrease over time.  Several neighboring electric cooperatives, private utilities, and counties, also rely on this necessary vegetation management tool.

Herbicides are less damaging to the environment than alternative methods of brush control, such as mechanical mowing. Herbicides reduce or eliminate destruction to nesting sites and beneficial vegetation, reduce erosion of soil, and have less negative visual impact on the landscape.

Crow Wing Power requires crews that apply herbicides to be licensed by the State of Minnesota through the Department of Agriculture. Special precautions are taken around wetlands, waterways, grazing lands and gardens.

Please contact Crow Wing Power if you would like more information or have concerns about the herbicide application.

Pollinators Brochure