Planting trees near overhead wires

Baldcypress, a tree with a tall but narrow canopy, was selected and planted the proper distance from the overhead wires.

Trees are often planted too close to power lines. When branches reach wires, the utility company must prune or trim them to ensure uninterrupted utility service. Unfortunately, this costs utility companies (and ultimately the customers) more than one billion dollars (1995 dollars) each year in the United States.

Costs could be lowered by planting only properly sized trees near wires (see table and figure). It is best to plant trees as far away from wires as possible. Planting farther from the wire will allow you to choose from a greater variety of trees.

Some communities that do not receive ice and heavy snow storms allow trees to be trained to grow well over the wires. Be sure to notify the utility companies in your area before embarking on this practice. They will have to coordinate and train the pruning crews on the specialized techniques required for this training.

Click here to see figure for planting near wires.

PLANTING TREES WITHIN 40 FEET OF WIRES OR STREET LIGHTS
IF: planting hole is this distance from wire/light	AND IF: you would like to train a tall tree over the wire/light*	AND IF: you would like to keep branches away from wire/lights

	THEN: Pick trees with these characteristics	THEN: Pick trees with these characteristics
0 - 6 feet	not recommended	mature height about 10 feet less than wire/light height
6 - 18 feet	expected height at least twice wire/light height	mature height about 10 feet less than wire/light height
18 - 40 feet	not recommended	mature height about 10 feet less than wire/light height, or mature canopy spread about 10 feet less than twice the distance to the wire/light
more than 40 feet	---------------------------- any tree can be planted ---------------------------
* If this is the intention, be sure all interested parties are made aware of the plans, including the utility company, urban forester, tree pruning contractor, property owner, and so on. This is a maintenance-intensive strategy, and may not be suited for cities that receive ice storms.