Planting Trees Near Power Lines
If you’re considering planting trees, make sure you look out for power lines.
In general, trees that grow to 20 feet or less are appropriate to plant near power lines. If trees are in the vicinity of high-voltage transmission lines, the recommended height is no more than 10 to 12 feet.
Look for trees at your local nurseries that are tagged with the TreeSmart logo. If you’re not sure the tree you’re considering meets the TreeSmart criteria, ask your landscape professional.
For more information, check out our Tree Smart Guidelines.
Clark Public Utilities Approved Power Line-Friendly Trees
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Mature Height | Native to Washington | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crabapple Tree (multiple varieties) | Malus spp | 15-20 ft. | No | Crabapples are versatile, smaller-scale ornamental trees. They put on a stunning spring show of flowers. After flowering, they begin to produce tiny, characteristic fruit anywhere from July through November. The fruit also has color, size, and persistence variations that is relished by wildlife. |
| Western Redbud | Cercis occidentalis | 12-20 ft. | No | Bright pink spring flowers, drought-tolerant, great ornamental. |
| Japanese Maple | Acer palmatum | 15-25 ft. | No | Many cultivars, colorful foliage, prefers partial shade. |
| Lavalle Hawthorn | Crataegus × lavalleei | 20-25 ft. | No | Compact form, glossy leaves, orange-red fruit in fall. |
| Cornelian Cherry Dogwood | Cornus mas | 15-25 ft. | No | Yellow flowers in late winter, edible fruit, adaptable. |
| Tuscarora Crape Myrtle | Lagerstroemia indica x fauriei | 20-25 ft. | No | Stunning, dark coral-pink flowers that bloom in large panicles from mid-summer to early fall, providing a long season of color |
| Venus Dogwood | Cornus kousa x nutalli | 15-25 ft. | No | Exceptional hybrid dogwood has beautiful large white flowers that open in Spring and also has outstanding purple-red Fall color. |
| Chinese Fringetree | Chionanthus retusus | 12-20 ft. | No | Fragrant, airy, drooping clusters of fringe-like white petals with flower clusters that cover the entire tree in a beautiful display, looking like tufts of fleece. |
| Butterflies Magnolia | Magnolia acuminata x | 15-20 ft. | No | Large, glossy green leaves and produces large, fragrant white flowers. May require some protection during colder winters. |
| Zelkova City Sprite | Zelkova serrata 'JFS-KW1' | 20-25 ft. | No | Compact, dense, and semi-dwarf, perfect tree for tight urban spaces. Summer foliage appears bright green with short internodes, fine textured foliage, and a tidy growth habit promise a low maintenance city tree. |
| Fernleaf Full Moon Maple | Acer japonicum ‘Aconitifolium’ | 8-10 ft. | No | The exquisite fernlike leaves transform throughout the summer to a dark red or even purple come fall. Both the flowers, and small clusters of seeds, have a dark red hue which contrasts beautifully with the pale green leaves of spring and summer. |
| Mount Fuji flowering cherry | Prunus serrulata | 15-20 ft. | No | A magnificent show-stopper with showy clusters of fragrant white flowers backed by bronze-tinged new foliage. |
| Crimson cloud hawthorn | Crataegus laevigata | 20-25 ft. | No | Although the flowers might be small, they are plentiful and spectacular in color, detail, and fragrance. |
| Autumn brilliance serviceberry | Amelanchier x grandiflora | 20-25 ft. | Yes | Versatile and shrubby tree is a hybrid of several serviceberry varieties named for the summer berries that grace the branches of the tree. |
| Ivory silk Japanese tree lilac | Syringa reticulata ‘Ivory Silk’ | 20-25 ft. | No | Popular low-maintenance cultivar of the Japanese lilac tree, it is a single-trunked small tree with panicles of creamy white flowers with very little fragrance. |
| Cole's select serviceberry | Amelanchier x grandiflora | 15-20 ft. | Yes | Has beautiful white flowers followed by green leaves, produces excellent, edible blueberry-like fruit that can be enjoyed by birds and people when they ripen in June. |
| Princess Diana serviceberry | Amelanchier × grandiflora | 15-20 ft. | No | Sometimes called Juneberry the flowers bloom in April followed by edible fruits in June with berries resembling blueberries in taste and may be used in jams, jellies and pies. |
| Japanese snowbell | Styrax japonica | 20-25 ft. | No | A graceful Styrax, Japanese Snowbell, is a deciduous tree native to Japan that bears bell-like white flowers in late spring. |
| American smoke tree | Cotinus obovatus | 15-20 ft. | No | This small to medium tree produces the same “smoke” (hairy fruit stalks) as its cousin, Eurasian smoke tree, and also offers excellent fall color. |
| Goldenrain | Koelreuteria paniculata | 20-25 ft. | No | Yellow summer flower, drought tolerant and adaptablre to all soil types. |
| Ruby base ironwood | Ruby Vase Parrotia Parrotia persica 'Inge's Ruby Vase' | 20-25 ft. | Yes | Red winter flowers; Orange fall color, drought tolerant but needs well drained soil types. |
| Vanessa persion ironwood | Parrotia persica 'Vanessa' | 20-25 ft. | No | Red winter flowers; Orange fall color, drought tolerant but needs well drained soil types. |
| Maackia | Maackia amurensis | 20-25 ft. | No | White flowers, drought tolerant and adaptablre to all soil types. |
