Trees and utilities should not mix. Unfortunately, on rare occasion, they do. Trees cause electrical outages or fires by dropping limbs onto electrical cables. Telecommunications are also susceptible to such disruption. Arborists maintain clearance for utility cables, but can not eliminate all hazards. Several trees are simply too large and too close to utilities.

Of course, this is more of a problem within rural areas, where native trees grow wild. It is also sometimes a problem within urban areas, though. Many urban trees are too large for their particular situations. Some extend their growth within easements for aerial utilities. Selection of trees that are proportionate to their situations helps to avoid such problems.

Any palm tree that can grow tall enough to reach utility cables should avoid them. Palms grow only upward, so are not conducive to pruning around such cables. Any that get too close to high voltage cables will be subject to decapitation. That entails removal of their solitary terminal buds, which kills them. Then, their dead carcasses necessitate removal.

This is unfortunately a common problem. Mexican fan palms commonly grow below high voltage cables. This is because birds that drop their seed so often perch on such cables. Also, queen palms are popular for planting within rear corners of backyards. This is often directly below aerial utilities. Queen palms reach such utilities within only several years.

Palm trees are not the only concern in regard to utilities. Various sycamores, ashes and elms vigorously grow quite tall. Canary Island pine and sweetgum develop upright form. Actually, any tree that grows as high as high voltage cables should avoid them. Plenty of smaller trees are available. Clearance pruning for aerial utilities is potentially disfiguring.

Pruning any tree near high voltage cables is extremely hazardous. This is why electrical service providers employ professionally trained arborists to do so. Unfortunately though, proper arboricultural technique is not a priority. Safety and reliability of electrical service are. Pruning for clearance of utilities is efficient, but can severely damage subject trees.