Tree & Brush Control
To ensure safe and reliable electricity, MEC proactively removes trees and brush within 15 feet of each side of our power lines.
The U.S. Department of Energy recommends that utilities control vegetation around power lines for the following reasons:
- RELIABILITY: Overgrown trees and brush can cause outages when it comes into contact with power lines.
- SAFETY: It can also obstruct our equipment, creating a danger to your family and our crews.
- OUTAGE RESTORATION: Obstructed lines lead to more difficult repairs and longer outages.
Your Property
Accessing Your Property
We have easement rights to access our equipment on your property:
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An easement may be signed and on file at the local county Register of Deeds OR
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A prescriptive easement means the land has been used in a continuous and open manner for at least 15 years for utility purposes.
How We Notify You
We survey the area scheduled for work and then begin contacting customers. You can expect to receive a text message, email, door tag, and postcard.
If you have questions after receiving your notification, please contact us within 7 days at info@teammidwest.com.
Are There Alternatives
We may be able to relocate or bury the line at your expense. Otherwise, we will remove the trees and brush to enhance reliability for you and your neighbors.
To learn more, please submit a line-relocate service request in your SmartHub mobile app under Contact Us.
The Process
- We remove all trees and brush within 15 feet of both sides of our high-voltage power lines. These are the lines hanging on power poles that run from house to house.
- We do NOT clear trees and brush near your service line. This is the line that connects the transformer (the gray cylinder on the power pole) to the electric meter on your property.
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During outage emergencies, we clear trees to restore power and do not remove any debris.
Tree Control
How long does tree removal take?
You can expect to see us working in your area for approximately 2-4 weeks.
What does MEC do with the wood?
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Small limbs are chipped and taken off-site. You can have us leave the wood chips for you by placing a request in SmartHub under Contact us > Service Request. Also, please put up a sign near marked trees to notify crews to leave wood chips.
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Wood over four inches in diameter is left in manageable pieces, which we cannot take due to its potential monetary value.
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We do not remove stumps.
Brush Control
We mow, cut, and apply herbicides if necessary. The herbicides we use are registered with the Environmental Protection Agency for utility usage. We do not spray visibly maintained yard areas or gardens.
How does MEC protect natural habitats when spraying?
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We target aggressive, invasive vegetation to encourage low-growing native grasses, which provide sources for feeding, nesting, breeding, and protection.
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We don’t spray within 10 feet of water.
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We encourage deep root growth to reduce the amount of open land and runoff, and it causes significantly less disturbance compared to mechanical clearing.
2026 Maintenance Areas
Here are the townships where we plan to clear our rights-of-way in 2026:
Tree Control Townships:
Southwest Michigan: Calvin, Constantine, Florence, Howard, Jefferson, Lockport, Mason, Milton, Mottville, North & South Porter, Ontwa, Penn, White Pigeon, York
Southeast Michigan: Chesterfield, Clinton, Dover, Franklin, German, Pike, Royalton
Indiana: Harris, Osolo, Washington
Brush Control Townships:
Southwest Michigan: Antwerp, Arlington, Bainbridge, Bangor, Bloomingdale, Calvin, Constantine, Coloma, Covert, Decatur, Fabius, Florence, Hamilton, Hartford, Howard, Jefferson, Keeler, Lagrange, Lawrence, Lockport, Newberg, Ontwa, Paw Paw, Pokagon, North & South Porter, Penn, Pipestone, Pokagon Silver Creek, Volinia, VB Porter, Watervliet, Waverly, Wayne
Southeast Michigan: Adrian, Blissfield, Cambridge, Clinton, Deerfield, Fairfield, Franklin, Madison, Ogden, Palmyra, Raisin, Riga, Ridgeway, Rollin, Rome, Tecumseh, Woodstock
Plant the Right Tree in the Right Place
Want to make sure your plants have room to grow? Follow these guidelines!
