You can't rearrange trees in your yard once they are planted in the ground, so it pays to carefully consider a number of factors before you decide where to plant your new tree.

Give your tree enough space for its mature size

• Where possible, plant trees 10 feet away from underground utilities including water, sewer and gas pipes as well as underground electric, phone and cable lines.



• Plant only small trees such as crape myrtle under high voltage power lines. The mature height of the tree should be at least 4 feet less than the height of overhead high voltage wires.



• Plant trees far enough from buildings, sidewalks, driveways and foundations to avoid problems. Trees that will be large trees at maturity will need more room than small trees and should be planted farther from underground and aboveground utility lines and structures.

• Walls facing east and west receive maximum exposure to sun during the middle of summer and are the most important parts of your house to shade.



• You can cool your local area by using trees to shade sidewalks, patios, and pavement to reduce the amount of heat that is reflected from and stored in these surfaces.



• Shading your air conditioner in the summer will improve its efficiency and save energy.



• Use deciduous trees to provide summer shade on your house. They will lose their leaves in fall, allowing winter sun to warm the house to reduce your heating costs.



• Evergreen trees produce shade in winter too, so plant them toward the north side of your property if possible, to decrease the amount of shade your house receives in the winter.