Right Tree in the Right Place

Responsible Planting Practices

• To keep new trees from growing into utility lines, plant small, medium and large mature-growth trees a proper distance from power lines.


• Planting around or close to underground utilities is not desirable, since the root systems may disrupt service.


• Planting shrubs or ornamentals that reach 1 foot tall at maturity should be avoided around padmount transformers.


• All plant materials with a mature height greater than 1 foot should be planted at least 10 feet from an underground line or transformer.


• These distances are necessary to provide access to the transformer for maintenance or to restore service in the event of a power outage.

Tree species that are allowed to exist near higher-voltage transmission lines are very limited and are not covered in the following:

Preferred tree for Central Kansas
Preferred tree for Eastern Kansas

Zone 1 - Small Trees. Areas within 20 feet of overhead power lines.

		American Plum
		Amur Maple
		Cockspur Hawthorn (thornless)
		Flowering Crabapple
		Flowering Dogwood
		Japanese Maple
		Oklahoma Redbud
		Pinyon Pine
		Smoketree, short varieties
		Star Magnolia
		White Fringetree
		Winterberry Euonymus

Zone 2 - Medium Trees. Areas within 20 to 45 feet of overhead power lines.

		American Hornbeam
		American Yellowwood
		Black Hills Spruce
		Callery Ornament Pear
		Canada Red Chokecherry
		Chinese Fringetree
		Chinese Pistache
		Chinkapin Oak
		Eastern Redbud
		Eastern Red Cedar
		Goldrenrain Tree
		Hedge Maple
		Hop Hornbeam (Ironwood)
		Ivory Silk Japanese Tree Lilac
		Limber Pine
		Osage Orange (fruitless, thornless)
		Paperbark Maple
		Saucer Magnolia
		Serviceberry
		Shantung Maple (Purpleblow)
		Sweet Bay Magnolia
		Trident Maple
		Upright Chinese Juniper
		Western Soapberry
		White Mulberry

Zone 3 - Large Trees. Areas 45 feet and greater from overhead power lines.

		American Linden
		Austrian Pine
		Bald Cypress
		Black Gum
		Bur Oak
		Chestnut Oak
		Common Hackberry
		English Oak
		Europeon Hornbeam
		Freeman Maple
		Ginkgo
		Green Ash
		Japanese Zelkova
		Kentucky Coffeetree
		Lacebark Elm
		Littleleaf Linden
		London Plane Tree
		Norway Maple
		Persimmon
		Red Maple Hybrids
		Red Oak
		River Birch
		Sawtooth Oak
		Shumard Oak
		Southwestern White Pine
		Sugar Maple
		Swamp White Oak
		Sweet Gum
		Thornless Honeylocust
		White Ash
		White Oak
		Willow Oak