SMECO Offers Tree-Planting Tips

Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative has some tips for homeowners thinking about planting trees and shrubs.

Plant the right tree in the right place

It’s a great time to plant trees and shrubs. Consider electric equipment near your home and the future of your plantings.

Plan for the future when planting a tree

Trees are the major cause of power interruptions for SMECO customer-members. SMECO devotes much of its resources to cutting and trimming trees that threaten electric service.

When carefully selected and placed, a tree can provide your family with many years of enjoyment without threatening electric service. It can even help conserve energy by providing shade in the summer and protection in the winter.

Look up first before you plant a tree

At its mature height, a tree planted under or too close to a power line may create costly trimming and maintenance work for you and SMECO to prevent trees from contacting power lines.

Don’t forget the transformer. Like all pieces of equipment, the transformer may need repairs at one time or another, and SMECO crews will need access. To prevent your plants from being removed, place them at least 10 feet away from the transformer.

Pick the right tree

You have many things to consider when selecting trees and landscaping for your home. Good tree placement and landscaping can enhance your property’s value and prevent costly maintenance or damage to your home.

Large trees should be planted at least 35 feet away from your house for proper root development and to minimize tree damage to the house.

When planting a tree, consider your view, your neighbor’s view, the location of your flower or vegetable gardens, and environmental conditions such as drainage, soil type, and sunlight penetration.

Windbreaks should be evergreens planted on the west or north side of the house, about 100 to 150 feet and no more than 300 feet from the house.

Deciduous (leaf-dropping) trees planted on the south or west side of the house will provide shade in the summer to cool the house and allow sun to enter the house in the winter.

Hundreds of species of trees can be grown in Southern Maryland. Do your research before you plant. If you have questions about planting trees near power lines, call SMECO or visit smeco.coop/safe-planting.

Before you dig, call 811

Call Miss Utility by dialing 811 before you plant a tree or shrub, start a garden, or install a fence. SMECO will mark the location of underground power lines on your property. You can also visit call811.com.

One call will save you a lot of time, trouble, and money. It could also save your life.

Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative is a customer-owned electric cooperative providing electricity to more than 150,000 services in southern Prince George’s County, Charles County, St. Mary’s County, and Calvert County.

To learn more about SMECO, visit its Leader member page. Visit SMECO on their Facebook Page and Twitter.