Tree Planting Guide

Right tree, right place

To improve your safety, reduce maintenance hassles and reduce tree-related power outages, use these guidelines when choosing and planting trees.

In Zones 2 and 3

Plant trees with spreading crowns at least 25 feet away from wires, sidewalks and buildings. Trees with columnar or pyramidal forms should be at least 10 feet away.

Underground power

If you have a transformer on your property, it’s important to maintain safety clearances on all sides. That means the front, sides and back of this equipment should be clear of plants, large tree roots and fences.

Although we understand that you might want to block a transformer from view, it’s critical to make sure it’s accessible at all times. If there’s an outage, this can help speed up restoration time.

You may see a similar graphic showing the required clearance on an orange sticker on the transformer.

Keep clear by following these tips

• Keep a clearance of 10 feet from the front of the equipment and 3 feet on all other sides. This allows for safe operation and lets crews quickly access the transformer doors if they need to perform maintenance. (Crews need at least 10 feet of room to work the switch safely.)

• If you plant around a transformer, consider how big the plant may get over several years. Put the right plant in the right place to keep the transformer out of view and allow for safe clearances.

• Remember that our crews may need to remove plants or other obstacles if they’re in the way of our equipment during inspection or maintenance.