The Arbor Day Foundation has named Seattle City Light a 2024 Tree Line USA utility. This award recognizes our dedication to proper urban forest management across our service area. City Light achieved the Tree Line USA recognition by meeting five program standards:
- The utility provides quality tree care.
- The utility offers annual worker training.
- The utility provides tree planting and public education.
- The utility follows formal tree-based energy conservation.
- The utility is sponsor of or participant in the Arbor Day celebration.
Tree Line USA is a partnership between the Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters. They recognize utilities for pursuing best practices that protect and cultivate urban tree canopy. Tree Line USA also promotes delivering safe and reliable electricity while maintaining healthy community forests.
“Trees are essential to creating more urban green spaces in communities across the United States,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “In addition, they provide important benefits to residents, including clean air, clean water, and vital tree shade. Service providers like Seattle City Light show how easily trees and utilities can co-exist for the benefit of communities and residents.”
By joining the Tree Line USA program, service providers benefit from lowering line clearance costs due to proper pruning. City Light’s customers also enjoy the benefits of this work. Properly pruning by following the International Society of Arboriculture’s Best Management Practices for Utility Pruning increases the reliability of our service. This means that healthy trees in power line corridors result in fewer downed power lines during storms.
We’re proud to be recognized again as a Tree Line USA utility. This recognition reinforces our commitment to best practices in utility arboriculture. We look forward to continuing our work to show how trees and power lines can co-exist for the benefit of our communities and customers.
More information about Tree Line USA is available at arborday.org/TreeLineUSA.