PLUGGED IN TO COWLITZ PUD

By Alice Dietz, Cowlitz PUD Comunications/ Public Relations Manager

Cowlitz PUD earns recognitions as Tree Line Utility four years running

Cowlitz PUD’s dedication of delivering safe and reliable electricity while maintaining healthy community trees has earned us the title of Tree Line Utility in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. We will continue to strive to maintain our title by doing the following:

• Training our employees in quality tree-care practices and

• Educating the public about planting trees for energy conservation and helping homeowners’ plant appropriate trees near utility lines, which provides beautiful trees for the future and also yields long-term savings for our customers.

In celebration of Arbor Day we are giving away 20 powerline safe trees, which have a mature height of less than 25 feet. In partnership with Tsugawa’s Nursery we will be giving away Paperback Maples and Smoke Trees. Enter at: cowlitzpud.org

• Plant your new tree in the right place to conserve energy and reduce your energy bills.

• Properly placed trees save energy by providing summer shade, winter warmth and winter windbreaks. For more information visit https://www.cowlitzpud. org/outages/vegetation-management/

SPRING PROJECTS? PLAN AHEAD!

If you are planning to do some landscaping, or even plant a tree, we ask that you keep some things in mind:

• Call 811 before you dig

• Trees and shrubs can be a problem for overhead and underground facilities.

• Look up to see if there are overhead lines above or near your planting site.

• Trees planted directly under or within 20 feet of the power lines should have a mature height less than 25 feet

• Trees that mature to 25 to 45 feet should be planted 20 to 50 feet away

• Trees greater than 45 feet at maturity should be planted more than 50 feet away

• Look around to see if there are green metal or fiberglass boxes that should not be planted near due to underground facilities.

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Alice Dietz is Cowlitz PUD’s Communications/Public Relations Manager. Reach her at adietz@cowlitzpud.org, or 360-501-9146.

Also available at:

• Columbia Gorge Interpretive Museum Stevenson

• Vintage Books 6613 E. Mill Plain, Vancouver

• Broadway Gallery Longview

• Cowlitz County Historical Museum Shop Kelso

• Vault Books & Brew Castle Rock

• Morgan Arts Center Toledo

• Mount St. Helens Gift Shop Castle Rock, I-5 Exit 49

• Tsuga Gallery

• Wahkiakum Eagle

• Redmen Hall

• Skamokawa Store

• Appelo Archives

• Time Enough Books

• Beach Books

• Fort Clatsop

• Godfathers Books

• RiverSea Gallery Astoria,Ore.

• Columbia River Maritime Museum Store Astoria, Ore.

• Columbia Gorge Discovery Center & Museum The Dalles, Ore.

Please support our local booksellers & galleries

By Robert Michael Pyle and Judy VanderMaten