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Friday - April 10, 2009

From: Orange, CT
Region: Northeast
Topic: Trees
Title: Fast-growing evergreen tree to hide power lines
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Live in Orange Connecticut and need a tree that grows fast and tall to cover the power lines which are quite tall. I'm thinking evergreen type trees so that the during the winter it provides the coverage too.

ANSWER:

Here are some candidate tall evergreens that are native to Connecticut:

Chamaecyparis thyoides (Atlantic white cedar) 40 to 75 feet with medium growth rate

Ilex opaca (American holly) 25 to 65 feet, but slow-growing

Juniperus virginiana (eastern redcedar) 30 to 90 feet with moderate growth rate

Pinus strobus (eastern white pine) to more than 100 feet with fast growth

Picea glauca (white spruce) up to 100 feet and medium growth rate, photos from Vanderbilt University

Pinus resinosa (red pine) up to 100 feet and medium growth rate, photos from Vanderbilt University

Pinus rigida (pitch pine) up to 100 feet, medium growth rate, photos from Duke University

Picea rubens (red spruce) up to 100 feet, slow to medium growth, photos from Virginia Tech

Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock) up to 100 feet, slow to medium growth rate

You will need to check the "Growing Conditions" area on each species home page to see if they meet the conditions at your site. I don't know how close the trees will be to the power lines, but you need to keep in mind that power companies usually have the right to trim trees away from their lines if they are perceived to pose a threat to the lines, so plant the trees so that there is plenty of room between them and the power lines.

Chamaecyparis thyoides

Ilex opaca

Juniperus virginiana

Pinus strobus