For the second year in a row, Seattle City Light has earned recognition as a Tree Line USA utility from the Arbor Day Foundation.
For the second year in a row, Seattle City Light has earned recognition as a Tree Line USA utility from the Arbor Day Foundation.
“Trees are a critical part of urban landscapes all across the United States,” said John Rosenow, founder and chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Service providers like Seattle City Light show that taking care of urban trees is good for business, good for customers and good for the community.”
City Light’s Glen Allen inspects a tree planted by the utility that won’t grow into power lines. It’s the “right tree in the right place.”
Tree Line USA is a national program recognizing public and private utilities for practices that protect and enhance America’s urban forests. The program is a collaboration of the Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters to promote delivering safe and reliable electricity while maintaining healthy community trees.
City Light achieved Tree Line USA status by meeting five program standards: follow industry standards for quality tree care, provide annual worker training in best tree-care practices, sponsor a tree planting and public education program, maintain a tree-based energy conservation program and participate in an Arbor Day celebration.
Certified arborists oversee all tree-related work by Seattle City Light crews and contractors.
“Trees contribute to the quality of life in the communities we serve throughout the greater Seattle area,” City Light General Manager and CEO Jorge Carrasco said. “Protecting our urban forest while providing our customers with clean, reliable, low-cost electricity is one more reason Seattle City Light is the nation’s greenest utility.”
A volunteer joins Seattle City Light to plant street trees in Fauntleroy.
More information about Tree Line USA can be found at www.arborday.org/TreeLineUSA .
Learn more about City Light’s vegetation management practices at http://www.seattle.gov/light/vegmgmt/ .
Seattle City Light is the 10th largest public electric utility in the United States. It has some of the lowest cost customer rates of any urban utility, providing reliable, renewable and environmentally responsible power to nearly 1 million Seattle area residents. City Light has been greenhouse gas neutral since 2005, the first electric utility in the nation to achieve that distinction.
The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit conservation and education organization with a mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees.