Which trees work best under power lines?
When selecting a tree to plant, consider selecting one of these species. This list is arranged by planting strip width. Not every tree that is approved to be planted in the right-of-way is on this list. For various reasons we purposely left some trees off the list.
Many of the species below are part of our demonstration arboretum located at our Pearl Street substation; 2312 N. Pearl St., Tacoma.
For planting strips 4 feet wide and up
- Mountain Hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana) WWN, DT
- Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) DT
- Swamp Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana)
- Skyrocket Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum 'Skyrocket')
- Vine Maple (Ater circinatum) WCN, T
- Serviceberries (Amelanchier alnifolia & A. canadnesis) T
- Amur Maple (Acer ginnala) T
- Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) DT, T
- Sentinel Crabapple (Malus 'Sentinel')
- Whitchazel (Hamamelis viginiana, H. mollis) T
- Star Magnolia (Magnolia stellata) T
- Golden Desert Ash (Fraxinus excelsior 'Aureafolia')
- Loebner Magnolia (Magnolia x loebneri) T, HF
- Butterfly Magnolia (Magnolia 'Butterfly')
- Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) DT, HF
- Stewartias (S, koreana, pseudocamilia, mondadeipha)
- Amur Maackia (Maackia amurensis)
- Japanese Tree Lilac (Syringa reticulate)
- Chinese Dogwood (Cormus kousa)
- Dogwoods (Cornus)
- Japanese Snowbell (Styrax japonicus)
- Redbuds (Cercis Canadensis, C. siliquastrum)
For planting strips 6 feet wide and up
- Japanese Maple (Ater palmatum)
- Paperbark maple (Acer griseum)
- American Smoke Tree (Cotinus obovatus) DT, HF
- Umbrella Pine (Sciadopitys verticullata)
For planting strips 8 feet wide and up
- Carriere Hawthorn (Crataegus x lavallei)
- Thornless Cockspur Hawthorn (Crataegus crusgalli)
- Winter King Hawthorn (Crataegus virdis 'Winter King')
For planting strips 10 feet wide and up
- Mugo Pine (Pinus mugo) DT, WCN
- Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas) T
- Red Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana 'Canada Red')
Abbreviations
- DT - Drought Tolerant
- WWN - Western Washington Native
- T - May Need Training, multi stemmed
- HF - Hard to find
- WCN - West Coast Native