Tree Planting and Utility Lines
 | Author:
Patrick Plantenberg, Tree Board Chair
Townsend Tree Board Chair, Townsend Rotary Club |
Tree Planting and Utility Lines
Patrick Plantenberg, Tree Board Chair
Note: This is the first in a series of articles to help prepare residents for any planned tree planting in their yards this coming year.
The Townsend Tree Board is proud to provide a series of articles on tree planting considerations for you before you plant this spring. A demonstration site on the northwest corner of D Street and South Walnut Street here in Townsend will be used. A former homeowner at the address went to a local nursery several years ago and purchased trees on sale at the end of the season to plant on private property in their yard under a powerline that runs along the alley on the west side of the property. The trees purchased included:
• Quaking aspen mature height 40-50 feet and width 20-30 feet
• Red maple cultivar mature height 40-50 feet and width 25-35 feet
• Lombardy poplars mature heights of up to 60 feet and widths up to 12 feet
The homeowner made at least four mistakes when purchasing and planting the trees:
• The homeowner didn’t realize how big the trees grew at maturity. Trees are so cute in the nursery and even professionals underestimate how big they will get. They were also planted too close to each other!
• The homeowner didn’t realize that aspens spread by underground stems. There are aspen shoots coming up in the yard and toward the alley. • The homeowner didn’t look up! Every one of the trees would eventually have to be pruned to prevent a utility line conflict. Homeowners cannot stop utility line companies from pruning trees in conflict with a power line!
• The homeowner didn’t: consider the setback needed to keep the trees from growing into the alley right-of-way. The typical alley right of way in Townsend is 15 feet. So, trees need to be planted far enough away that they will not encroach on garbage trucks and other vehicles using the alley.
Tree Board members have been watching those trees grow and finally contacted NorthWestern Energy (NWE) about using the location for a demonstration project. The main cause of powerline damage is trees. NWE was excited about the site being used to highlight tree and utility conflicts and promised the Tree Board a grant of $1,000 to do any work needed to rectify the problem and prepare a series of articles for the local paper.
All of the trees planted under the powerline were too large for the site and were beginning to encroach on the powerline (Photo 1). There are many trees in Townsend and other communities that need regular pruning about every five years by NWE contractors hired to do powerline clearance rotations in the community. Below is a graphic from Trees, Power Lines & Right-of-Way Safety | Victory Electric Cooperative which highlights tree sizes and distances needed to avoid utility line conflicts and ground-mounted transformers and home meters (Picture 1). Don’t forget underground utility lines as well.
The Townsend Tree Board has worked with NWE and its utility line contractors over the years to help remove other tree-utility line conflicts. NWE has a program that will give homeowners a voucher for $250 at a nursery so they can purchase a new tree to replace one removed under a powerline.
Lessons Learned:
• Understand the potential conflicts in your yard as trees grow including alley encroachment, utility line encroachment, growth over the neighbor’s property line, and growth over your home and sheds.
• Do an inventory of potential planting sites.
• Know the trees and their mature size before you purchase.
Next week: How to get rid of the problem trees and move forward.
Article Images
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PhotoCredit: Patrick Plantenberg
Image 1 Caption: Notice the powerline in the upper left corner of the photo running through the trees along the alley.
Image 2 Caption: Graphic showing where to properly plant trees to avoid utility line conflicts.
