Puget Sound Energy is asking residents to plant the right tree in the right place in order to promote healthier trees, provide energy efficiency, enhance both public and worker safety, and reduce the expense and need for the utility to trim tree branches or remove unhealthy danger trees away from power lines.

The utility also reminds everyone planting trees or shrubs that require even minor digging to call 811 — the free “call before you dig” hotline — to avoid potential hazards with striking or digging up underground utilities.

PSE will spend approximately $14 million this year clearing trees away from power lines in King and other counties for safety and power reliability. Trees are the most common cause of power outages, especially during storms, utility officials say.

PSE recommends planting low-growing trees suitable near power lines that grow to heights less than 20 feet, such as flowering dogwoods and magnolias. Trees that grow more than 30 feet tall should never be planted near power lines, the utility says.

As part of its annual program to trim or remove trees along power-line corridors, PSE invests approximately $500,000 toward replanting the right tree in the right place.