Avondale to Add More Trees in the Name of Safety and Sustainability
City Joins SRP in the Right Tree Right Place Program
In partnership with SRP, the City of Avondale will soon remove city-owned trees encroaching on power lines and replant with new, appropriate power-line friendly trees, adding at least three new trees for every one tree removed. In areas with overhead power lines, certain trees cause safety concerns as they can grow too tall and come into contact with power lines, bringing potential for fire or power outages.
Avondale has joined the SRP Right Tree Right Place program to correct this safety concern. As part of this, SRP will provide the city with trees of a more suitable height in areas where trees are growing too close to power lines. In total, the city will remove 26 trees and receive 135 new trees with this program.
“This partnership advances safety and sustainability in Avondale,” said Danae Presler, Sustainability Officer for the City of Avondale. “The City is pleased to increase the overall tree canopy in our community while also helping ensure safety and reliability of the local electrical grid.”
The extra trees will be planted in public parks and rights of way in Avondale’s SRP territory, improving community aesthetics and adding to the city’s shade canopy. Planting more trees also helps reduce excess CO2, filter out air pollutants, and provide beneficial habitat for avian wildlife. The City also recognizes how precious water is in a desert environment and will be choosing water-wise trees that are drought tolerant and require low water use.
“As part of the service we provide customers, each year SRP’s tree crews trim and remove thousands of trees growing directly under power lines,” said Lori Jones, Manager of Maintenance Services at SRP. “This program goes one step above. Not only do we remove encroaching trees that pose reliability risks and potential safety hazards, we replace each removal with at least three power-line friendly trees that help beautify the community and increase its urban canopy.”
If not properly managed, certain trees pose risks to power reliability and public safety, especially during monsoon season. Avondale and SRP take pride in the community having safe, reliable power throughout the year.
Tree removals will begin November 9th and plantings will start November 15th. The program is expected to be completed by early December, 2021.
Avondale residents can help grow the city’s tree canopy by planting trees in their own yards. Planting the right tree in the right location can also help reduce electricity bills by naturally cooling your home. SRP provides up to two free desert-adapted trees for customers through the SRP Shade Tree Program. For more information, visit srpnet.com/energy/rebates/shadetrees.
About Avondale
The City of Avondale is a vibrant, innovative city located southwest of Phoenix, off Interstate-10, at the base of the Estrella Mountains. Avondale is a growing and young community of more than 92,000 residents.
SRP is a community-based, not-for-profit public power utility and the largest provider of electricity in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, serving more than 1 million customers. SRP is also the metropolitan area’s largest supplier of water, delivering about 750,000 acre-feet annually to municipal, urban and agricultural water users.