Underground electric lines

[Kentucky Cardinal]

Is it safe to plant shrubs or trees close to (5 or 6 feet away) underground electric lines?

Thanks

[dr-solo]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Somewhere between zone 5 and 6 tucked along the shore of Lake Michigan on the council grounds of the Fox, Mascouten, Potawatomi, and Winnebago

[Nad R]

Shrubs maybe, trees not so sure. Most underground power lines are three feet under. But they are people that scrimp on workmanship.

[David E. Ross]

I have a valley white oak (Quercus lobata), a rosemary bush, and seven roses growing directly over the line runs from So. Cal. Edison's junction box to my meter. The oak has been there about 30 years.

[Brooklyn1]

Safe how?

Are the electric lines on your property or on a utility company ROW... I would check with the utility company, especially if there could be an issue regarding the accuracy of a survey. And if those wires belonged to me I'd make sure to plant a lot further away than 5-6 feet. I make sure anything I plant is well inside of my property line, at least 15'. And if I had buried utilities; electric, water, waste lines, I'd be sure to allow plenty of room for heavy equipment to dig without having to destroy a tree. If you're going to plant trees remember that they grow, and be sure there are no power lines above, or so near that if a tree comes down it won't take the power lines with it... and be sure it can't fall on your house, or across your driveway where you park vehicles. And make sure especially that any trees you plant can't if they eventually fall damage your neighbor's property. I'm always amazed to see where a tree falls and does horrific damage to find out that people didn't give an iota of thought to what kind of tree or where they planted it. I say that planting a tree or any large growing shrubs 5-6 feet from buried power lines is much too close... for a tree that can grow to a 30' spread stay at least 20' away, I'd want some insurance because there is no way to tell in advance how large a tree will grow. I bought two identical flowering crabapples nearly ten years ago, planted them on the same day some 40 feet apart thinking there'd always be enough space between but by the third year I noticed how one was growing much faster, now one is double the size of the other, I have no explanation.