How do overhead power lines and underground utilities affect the choice of trees or their placement?
Puget Sound Energy is required by law to provide for the safe transmission of power to their customers. In certain instances, this may require pruning trees to provide clearance for power lines. Often the degree and severity of such pruning on larger trees is damaging to their health and structural integrity. To ensure that our street trees remain healthy and structurally sound, under power lines we plant only those trees that mature to a shorter stature and thus require minimal, if any, pruning for clearance. Other overhead utility lines, such as cable, telephone, etc., do not require clearance pruning; however, we still recommend trees that fit below those lines in order to prevent damage and loss of service from tree-related incidents. While most underground utilities are not directly affected by having trees planted over them, care must be taken not to cut or dig into such utilities while planting trees. The one exception to tree roots affecting underground utilities is the lateral
