Planning ahead for your mature tree

Posted: Thursday, April 26, 2012

It’s hard to visualize what a sapling will look like when it turns into a mighty tree, but try to keep these guidelines in mind to ensure you don’t become the owner of a one-sided or V-shaped tree.

It’s hard to visualize what a sapling will look like when it turns into a mighty tree, but try to keep these guidelines in mind to ensure you don’t become the owner of a one-sided or V-shaped tree.

  • Plant evergreen trees 20 feet or more from the road edge.
  • Plant deciduous trees 15 feet or more from the road edge. Deciduous trees that overhang roads should provide 14 to 18 feet of clearance from the road surface to allow for passing traffic.
  • Plant hedges and shrubs at least six feet from the road edge. Formal shrubs and hedges planted near the road should be trimmed regularly.
  • Do you live on a corner? A corner is defined as 25 feet on each street side, then everything inside the enclosed triangle. Keep vegetation in the corner of your property at a maximum of 36 inches high to ensure safety and visibility.

Other than roads, here are a few other items to consider when planting trees:

  • Your yard contains many underground utilities that should always< be marked before planting. Contact Gopher State One Call at 651.454.0002 or www.gopherstateonecall.org at least two business days before you plan to dig. Each utility type is marked with a different color paint on the ground surface.
  • Want to know how far to plant from utilities? Here are some general rules of thumb. Call the city or utility company if you have specific concerns.
    • Water lines and fire hydrants (blue paint): Plant at least 10–15 feet away, depending on mature size of tree.
    • Gas (yellow paint): Plant 5–10 feet away.
    • Overhead electrical wires and transformers (red paint): Specific criteria apply. Call Xcel Energy or visit their website for diagrams: www.xcelenergy.com
  • Plant at least 20–25 feet from street lights.
  • Plant at least 20–25 feet from stop signs. Don’t block the sign, but the tree may be offset from the sign.
  • Avoid potential conflicts with your neighbors: be sure to give the tree room to grow so that its mature canopy will be entirely on your property and won’t overhang the property line.