Utility Wildfire Shutoffs and Trees Near Lines in Montana

What is a Public Safety Power Shutoff?

It is a deliberate, temporary outage in a higher-risk area during extreme weather. NorthWestern Energy calls it a last resort measure to prevent wildfires and keep communities safe. The conditions it lists are heat, low humidity, high wind, dry vegetation and public safety. The reason is simple: in those conditions, a tree limb blown into an energized line or a piece of failed equipment could start a fire that runs fast.

A shutoff is not the only tool. NorthWestern's wildfire safety page also describes Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings, which let the system react faster to faults during elevated fire risk, along with sectionalizing devices, ground and aerial inspections, grid hardening, pole replacement, undergrounding in high-risk areas, weather stations, smoke-detection cameras and removal of risk trees.

How does NorthWestern Energy warn customers?

Its shutoff page describes a sequence of stages: Monitoring, Watch, Warning, Alert, Shutoff In-Effect, Restoration and Closeout. It places a Watch about 2 to 3 days before a shutoff, a Warning about 1 to 2 days before, and an Alert within a few hours. Its FAQ says customers who may be affected are notified at least 48 hours before most shutoffs. Those words, most shutoffs, matter: weather can move faster than a schedule, so plan as if you might get less notice.

Notices go out by automated calls, texts and emails, the website, the outage map, social media and paid radio and TV advertising. There is no separate sign-up program described; what you need is a current phone number and email on your account, through My Energy Account or by calling 888-467-2669. If you own a rental or a cabin, check whose phone is on the account. Our guides for rental owners and cabin owners cover that gap.

How long does a shutoff last?

Longer than the wind does. NorthWestern says restoration starts only after dangerous weather and fire risk pass, and that crews then patrol and inspect lines and equipment for damage. Power comes back in order: transmission lines and substations, local circuits, individual service lines. A shutoff plus patrol and repairs could last several hours or even days, and storm damage can extend it.

Since individual service lines come after the main circuits in that order, a home at the end of a long rural line should not expect to be first. Build your plan around being without power for days, not an afternoon.

Do the Bitterroot and Missoula co-ops use shutoffs?

Check with yours directly. Missoula Electric Cooperative's maintenance and reliability page, as we read it on November 2, 2026, did not mention planned wildfire shutoffs. It says the co-op notifies potentially affected members by phone or mail for scheduled work, that urgent work may come with minimal or no notice, and it links to an outage map and a separate wildfire resources page. Its main office number is (406) 541-4433.

Ravalli Electric Cooperative's wildfire mitigation page, also read that day, did not state a shutoff policy either. It describes routine line patrols and inspections, scheduled vegetation management, right-of-way maintenance, identification and removal of hazard trees, pole and equipment inspections and emergency preparedness planning. Its number is (406) 961-3001. The absence of a statement on a web page does not tell you what the co-op's plan says, because Montana's law requires every provider's plan to address de-energizing. Ask for the plan, and ask how you would be told.

What does Montana law require of utilities?

House Bill 490, enacted in 2025, requires electric facilities providers to prepare a wildfire mitigation plan and start carrying it out by December 31, 2025, then resubmit an updated plan at least every 3 years and file a report by June 1 each year. The Public Service Commission is the approval authority for regulated utilities, and a co-op's board of trustees is the approval authority for a cooperative. Plans get a public comment period of up to 45 days.

A plan must describe higher-risk areas, inspection and maintenance programs, vegetation management, equipment upgrades, strategies for de-energizing lines and how the utility weighs that against public safety, first responders and health and communications, how it will restore service, and community outreach. The bill also changes liability: strict liability may not be applied, and a provider that substantially followed an approved plan is presumed to have acted reasonably, a presumption that can be rebutted. This is a summary of the enrolled bill, not legal advice. If you have a claim or a question about one, talk to an attorney.

How should you prepare a home for a planned shutoff?

Start with what stops when the power does. Ready.gov suggests taking an inventory of everything you rely on that uses electricity. On a rural property, that usually means the well pump, so you have no water for drinking, animals or a garden hose. NorthWestern tells customers to plan for feeding and watering pets and livestock if well pumps lose power. Store drinking water, and fill stock tanks when a Watch goes out. Our water supply guide and barns and livestock guide go further on both.

Medical needs come first. NorthWestern and Ready.gov both say to make a plan for refrigerated medicine and powered medical devices, and Ready.gov says to talk to your medical provider about it. For food, the refrigerator keeps things cold for about four hours and a full freezer for about 48 hours if unopened, and food should be thrown out if it reaches 40 degrees or higher. Keep flashlights for each household member, keep phones charged, and know how to open a garage door by hand. A planned outage is also a poor time to learn your alerts depend on home internet, so register for county alerts: Smart911 in Missoula County and Hyper-Reach in Ravalli County, as covered in our evacuation guide.

Is a generator safe during a fire weather shutoff?

Only if used correctly, and it can be a fire hazard itself on a red flag day. Ready.gov says generators and fuel should always be used outdoors and at least 20 feet away from windows, doors and attached garages, to connect appliances with heavy-duty extension cords, and to install working carbon monoxide detectors on every level of the home. Connecting a generator to house wiring is a job for a licensed electrician, not an extension cord improvisation.

On dry ground, set it on gravel or bare soil, clear the grass around it, and keep the fuel can away from it. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' Stage 2 definitions list generators with an approved spark arresting device, inside an enclosed vehicle or building or in a cleared area, among the exemptions to the afternoon engine ban, though exemptions vary by agency. See Montana fire restrictions.

Who deals with trees near power lines?

It depends on the line, and our guide to who trims trees near power lines covers it in depth. In brief, utilities manage clearance on their rights-of-way. Missoula Electric says its right-of-way crew is available to remove or trim trees progressing toward or leaning on its lines, and asks members to call if a tree on their property could affect a line. Ravalli Electric defines a hazard tree as any tree that could fall or drop large branches onto power lines, including dead, diseased, leaning, structurally damaged, root-compromised or storm-damaged trees, and says trees outside the right-of-way may also be addressed if they could fall into lines.

Stay well away from the wire yourself. Missoula Electric says only qualified workers are allowed to work within ten feet of an energized line. Never approach or touch a downed line, Ravalli Electric says, and report damaged equipment immediately. NorthWestern's 24-hour line in Montana is 888-467-2669, and 911 is for life-threatening emergencies. After an evacuation, Missoula County warns that downed power lines may be among the hazards when you return.

What should you plant or remove near a line?

Plan for the mature size. Missoula Electric's guidance is to plant large, fast-growing trees away from lines: trees 20 or more feet from poles, shrubs 10 to 20 feet away, and grasses or non-woody perennials within 10 feet. Those are one co-op's numbers, so check your utility's before planting. Removing a dead pine beside the service drop to your house is usually more urgent than replanting, because a falling tree can both start a fire and cut your power.

Justin Johnson is an ISA Certified Arborist with line-clearance qualification, so tree work near power lines is something we can take on where a general crew must decline. We coordinate with the utility when a line has to be dropped or made safe; nothing touching a live line is handled until the utility has done that. We also do hazard tree removal, limbing and thinning as part of fire mitigation, and the rest of the Montana Wildfire Guide covers the yard around the house.

Call HJ Property Care & Tree Service at (406) 215-7319 or request a free estimate and we will walk the property with you.

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