One of the advantages of living in Southern Illinois is the beauty of the Shawnee National Forest and the great variety of trees that can be found not only within the Forest boundaries, but throughout the area.

Despite the fact that your Cooperative spends some $1,500,000 per year on tree trimming and removal programs, we are strong advocates for retaining as many local trees as possible.

Your Cooperative's particular problem with trees lies in the fact that when trees grow tall enough or wide enough to come into contact with our power lines, they provide a path for electricity to flow back into the earth, resulting in a variety of problems, ranging from blinking lights to power outages.

Several years ago, Southeastern initiated a program which has been very beneficial for both the Cooperatives and its members.  This program is known as "Swap a Tree".  Any tree the Cooperative has been trimming is cut down and replaced with a new one.  If the member wants the trees planted under a power line, the choice of replacement trees is limited to low growing species such as red bud or dwarf fruit trees, but if the trees are to be planted away from power lines, a number of species are available, including oak, maple, tulip poplar, willow, pear and gum. 

We do all the work, including the complete removal of the old tree and planting the new one.  We do not removal stumps, but as of 1 April of this year, we will allocate up to $60.00 per tree to a member for that purpose.

If you are interested in increasing the reliability of electric service to yourself and your neighbors, and are at the same time interested in helping preserve our environment, please give Bob Kielhorn a call at 1-800-833-2611, ext. 165 and talk with him about the large number of tree species we have available for planting at your home.