Top 3 Tips for Pruning and Planting Trees at Home

Top 3 Tips for Pruning and Planting Trees at Home

With trees, beauty is more than branch deep. Trees add beauty to our neighborhoods, help clean the air and provide much needed shade, but they can also create serious dangers when not properly maintained. When branches or roots touch overhead or underground electric equipment, it can cause a power outage.

In observance of Arbor Day, here are three tips to keep in mind when planting trees and brush clearing around your home:

  1. Plant the right tree in the right place: Start with selecting trees that are popular locally and compatible with overhead power lines. Then browse our tree planting guide at sdge.com/treeguide to learn more about trees that interest you. You’ll also find tips on planning and planting.
  2. Never try to prune trees near electric equipment yourself — it’s dangerous:  If you touch an electric line or an object such as a tool, ladder or tree branch that’s touching an electric line, it can cause a severe shock or even death. Any tree pruning within 10 feet of power lines must be done by a line-clearance-qualified arborist. For more information on the requirements regarding vegetation management, visit sdge.com/tree-safety-rules.
  3. Know what’s below before you dig: Before you break ground, contact DigAlert at 811 or digalert.org at least two working days in advance. DigAlert will arrange to locate and mark underground utility-owned lines for free so you can avoid dangerous and costly damage.

Thanks for doing your part to keep our power lines safe. Please rest assured we do our part as well.

Our certified, award-winning arborists work year-round to manage over 460,000 trees in the region to ensure all trees near power lines have been properly pruned with enough clearance to maintain safety standards throughout the communities we serve. Proper pruning of trees near power lines keeps trees healthy and helps reduce the risk of fire and prevents power outages.

More Information

To learn more about proper tree care and information on the types of trees that would work well near powers lines, check out our handy tree guide for additional helpful tips.