Seattle City Light is proud to share that we received the 2025 Tree Line USA award! This is our 12th year in a row receiving this award from the Arbor Day Foundation. This recognition celebrates our dedication to protecting urban trees while providing reliable electricity service.
What is Tree Line USA?
Tree Line USA honors utilities that meet top standards for managing trees and power lines. To qualify, utilities must meet these five key areas:
- Care for trees to keep them healthy while maintaining power lines.
- Train employees in best practices in tree and utility management.
- Educate the public about caring for trees near power lines.
- Conserve energy using tree planting to support an efficient power grid.
- Celebrate Arbor Day by working with the community to plant trees.
City Light’s Utility Urban and Community Forestry Program is proud to deepen our commitment to our customers, the community, and our environment. We see the continued recognition of this award as an acknowledgement that trees are essential assets of infrastructure. Through coordinated efforts that ensure proper planning, implementation, and management of our urban forest, City Light is able to support grid resilience and reliability while simultaneously increasing health, environmental, and economic outcomes.
Whit Bouton, Utility Urban and Community Forest Lead
Why this award matters
The Tree Line USA program benefits everyone in the greater Seattle area:
- Lower costs. Healthy trees mean fewer maintenance costs for power lines.
- Improved reliability. Fewer outages happen when trees are managed safely.
- Stronger communities. New trees improve the environment, from cleaner air to shade to more green spaces.
Being a Tree Line utility means we are committed to best practices in public and private utility arboriculture. Our efforts show how trees and utilities can co-exist for the benefit of our communities.
We’re planting trees to build a greener Seattle
Last year, we participated in an Arbor Day event by planting 10 new trees in Beacon Hill near the Chief Sealth Trail and Snoqualmie P-Patch. Thanks to teamwork between several city departments — Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle Parks and Recreation, and Seattle Public Utilities — this project brought fresh greenery to our shared spaces.
The project included Franklin trees. These trees have large showy flowers, and their stature is compatible with power lines since they grow to a max of 13 feet in height. The trees also represent our ongoing mission to beautify Seattle while supporting safety and efficiency with our electricity services. Here’s an interesting fact about Franklin trees: They were once thought to be extinct in the wild. But through careful propagation across arboretums, the tree was saved!
By combining smart energy planning with tree conservation, we work toward a healthier, greener Seattle for everyone.
See our efforts up close
Visit the Chief Sealth Trail to see how we’re working with our community partners to create a greener city together.
Thank you to our partners, employees, and community members who support tree planting and care. Together, we’re creating our energy future and a beautiful tree canopy!
Interested in learning more about Tree Line USA? Visit arborday.org/TreeLineUSA for more information.