June 3, 2026
Back to USU Extension Answers

What Are the Best Small Trees for Planting Near Power Lines?

 Pigeons perched on a powerline at sundown.

Trees that work well near power lines are 25 feet or shorter when fully grown. Many evergreen and deciduous trees fit that limit.

Trees taller than 25 feet risk contact with live lines and require costly, disfiguring pruning to stay clear. Choosing the right tree from the start avoids that problem entirely.

Best Small Evergreen Trees for Near Power Lines

These conifers, most of them evergreen, stay 25 feet or shorter when fully grown.

Junipers

  • Rocky Mountain juniper: 15 feet, zones 3-7
  • Wichita Blue juniper: 15 feet, zones 3-7
  • Moonglow juniper: 15 feet, zones 3-7
  • Blue Arrow juniper: 15 feet, zones 3-9
  • Spartan juniper: 15 feet, zones 4-9
  • Skyrocket juniper: 15-20 feet, zones 4-9

Dwarf and Compact Spruces

  • Norway spruce (dwarf cultivars): 3-17 feet, zones 2-7
  • Blue Totem spruce: 10 feet, zones 3-7
  • Baby Blue Eyes spruce: 15 feet, zones 3-7
  • Hillside Upright spruce: 15 feet, zones 3-7
  • Fat Albert spruce: 18 feet, zones 3-7
  • Weeping Norway spruce: 18 feet, zones 3-7
  • Weeping Serbian spruce: 18 feet, zones 4-7
  • Green Knight Oriental spruce: 18 feet, zones 4-7
  • Weeping White spruce: 20 feet, zones 2-6
  • Wellspire spruce: 20 feet, zones 3-6
  • Bakeri spruce: 20 feet, zones 3-7
  • Blue spruce (dwarf cultivars): 25 feet, zones 2-7
  • Deer Run Oriental spruce: 25 feet, zones 4-7

Compact Pines

  • Dwarf Blue Scotch pine: 5-8 feet, zones 3-8
  • Bristlecone pine: 8-20 feet, zones 2-7
  • Pinyon pine: 10-20 feet, zones 4-8
  • Compact Austrian pine: 15 feet, zones 4-7
  • Oregon Green pine: 20 feet, zones 3-7
  • Bosnian pine: 20 feet, zones 2-6
  • Arnold's Sentinel black pine: 25 feet, zones 4-7

Fir

  • Silberlocke fir: 15 feet, zones 4-7

Cedar

  • Weeping Blue Atlas cedar: 20 feet, zones 6-9

Best Small Deciduous Trees for Near Power Lines

These broadleaf trees, most of them deciduous, stay 25 feet or shorter when fully grown.

Ornamental Cherries

  • Snow Fountain weeping cherry: 12 feet, zones 5-8
  • Double Pink weeping cherry: 12-15 feet, zones 5-9
  • Mt. Fuji cherry: 15 feet, zones 5-9
  • Amanogawa cherry: 20 feet, zones 5-9
  • Royal Burgundy cherry: 20 feet, zones 5-9
  • Snow Goose cherry: 20 feet, zones 5-9
  • Akebono cherry: 25 feet, zones 5-8
  • Kwanzan cherry: 25 feet, zones 5-9
  • Canada Red chokecherry: 25 feet, zones 2-9
  • Merlot Mayday tree: 25 feet, zones 3-6

Serviceberries

  • Utah serviceberry: 10-15 feet, zones 4-8
  • Saskatoon serviceberry: 15-25 feet, zones 2-7
  • Autumn Brilliance serviceberry: 20 feet, zones 4-9
  • Cole's Select serviceberry: 20 feet, zones 4-9
  • Princess Diana serviceberry: 20 feet, zones 3-9
  • Snowcloud serviceberry: 25 feet, zones 4-8

Small Maples

  • Globe Norway maple: 15 feet, zones 3-8
  • Amur maple: 15-20 feet, zones 2-8
  • Japanese maple (many cultivars): 20 feet, zones 5-8
  • Flamingo boxelder: 20 feet, zones 4-9
  • Trident maple: 20-25 feet, zones 4-9
  • Tatarian maple: 20-25 feet, zones 3-8
  • Variegated boxelder: 20-25 feet, zones 5-7
  • Crimson Sentry maple: 25 feet, zones 4-8
  • Purpleblow maple: 25 feet, zones 4-8

Ornamental Plums

  • Big Cis flowering plum: 14 feet, zones 3-7
  • Newport plum: 15-20 feet, zones 3-8
  • Cherry plum: 20 feet, zones 3-8
  • Mt. St. Helens plum: 20 feet, zones 3-8
  • Thundercloud plum: 20 feet, zones 4-8

Redbuds

  • California redbud: 8-10 feet, zones 7-9
  • Avondale redbud: 10 feet, zones 5-6
  • Eastern redbud: 20 feet, zones 3-9
  • Forest Pansy redbud: 20 feet, zones 5-6

Crabapples

  • Zumi/Siebold crabapple: 10-15 feet, zones 4-9
  • Japanese flowering crabapple: 12-20 feet, zones 4-9
  • Flowering crabapple (many cultivars): 15-25 feet, zones 3-9
  • Tea crabapple: 15-25 feet, zones 5-9
  • Wild Sweet crabapple: 25 feet, zones 3-9

Hawthorns

  • English hawthorn: 18-25 feet, zones 4-8
  • Crimson Cloud hawthorn: 18-25 feet, zones 4-8
  • Paul's Scarlet hawthorn: 18-25 feet, zones 4-8
  • Lavalle hawthorn: 25 feet, zones 4-8
  • Toba Snowbird hawthorn: 25 feet, zones 3-6
  • Washington hawthorn: 25 feet, zones 3-8

Magnolias

  • Loebner magnolia: 12-15 feet, zones 3-8
  • Star magnolia: 15 feet, zones 4-9
  • Saucer magnolia (low-growing cultivars): 15-25 feet, zones 4-9

Mulberry

  • Chaparral weeping mulberry: 15 feet, zones 3-9

Beeches

  • Purple Weeping beech: 10 feet, zones 4-7
  • Purple Fountain beech: 20 feet, zones 4-7
  • Red Obelisk beech: 20 feet, zones 4-7

Sumacs

  • Staghorn sumac: 10 feet, zones 3-8
  • Smooth sumac: 12 feet, zones 3-9
  • Flameleaf sumac: 20 feet, zones 5-9

Willows

  • Weeping pussy willow: 10 feet, zones 4-8
  • French Pink pussy willow: 15 feet, zones 4-8
  • Scarlet Curls willow: 25 feet, zones 5-9

Ashes

  • Leprechaun ash: 18 feet, zones 3-9
  • Singleleaf ash: 20 feet, zones 6-9

Witch-Hazels

  • Arnold Promise witch-hazel: 20 feet, zones 5-8
  • Diane witch-hazel: 20 feet, zones 5-8

Tree-Form Shrubs and Vines

  • Diablo ninebark (tree form): 8-10 feet, zones 2-7
  • Rose-of-sharon (tree form): 10 feet, zones 5-8
  • Wisteria (tree form): 10 feet, zones 5-8

Other Deciduous Trees

  • Contorted filbert: 8 feet, zones 4-8
  • Twisted Baby locust: 10 feet, zones 4-9
  • Tall hedge buckthorn: 10-12 feet, zones 3-7
  • Camperdown weeping elm: 10-20 feet, zones 4-6
  • Quince: 10-15 feet, zones 5-8
  • Common smoketree: 12-15 feet, zones 4-9
  • Western water birch: 12-25 feet, zones 3-7
  • Wolf Eyes Kousa dogwood (and other cultivars): 15 feet, zones 5-8
  • Goldenchain tree: 15 feet, zones 5-7
  • Crapemyrtle: 15 feet, zones 6-9
  • Curlleaf mountain mahogany: 15-20 feet, zones 3-8
  • Umbrella catalpa: 20 feet, zones 5-9
  • Chinese fringetree: 20 feet, zones 3-9
  • Snow Charm Japanese snowbell: 20 feet, zones 5-8
  • Ivory Silk Japanese tree lilac: 20 feet, zones 4-7
  • Mimosa or silktree: 20-25 feet, zones 6-9
  • Wireless zelkova: 25 feet, zones 5-8

How Close Can You Plant a Tree to a Power Line?

Distance depends on how tall the tree will grow at maturity:

  • Under 25 feet tall: Can be planted directly adjacent to overhead lines
  • 25 to 35 feet tall: Plant at least 25 feet away
  • Over 35 feet tall: Plant at least 50 feet away

Never prune branches near power lines yourself. Call your utility company first. They'll tell you what's safe.

What to Consider Beyond Height

Height is the starting point, but a few other factors matter:

Hardiness zone. Choose a tree rated for your zone.

Sun, soil, and water. Match the tree to your site conditions. Check with your local nursery or USU Extension office.

Underground utilities. Before digging to plant, call Blue Stakes at 811 to locate buried lines.

References

  • Small Trees for Planting Near Power Lines by Shawn Olsen, USU Extension Agent; JayDee Gunnell, USU Extension Horticulture Agent; Mike Kuhns, Retired USU Extension Forestry Specialist; and Ashley Barnhill, Former USU Extension Intern

Authors

Adapted from a USU Extension publication by Shawn Olsen, JayDee Gunnell, Mike Kuhns, and Ashley Barnhill

Events

View Events Near You

Learn More

Take an Online Course Tips SIGN UP Find an Event