Goal to increase tree canopy by 20% revives age-old battle between trees and overhead utility lines; Somerville, MA

In Somerville, planting of young trees sparks concern - The Boston Globe:
With spring just around the corner, reader Janice Izenberg tells GlobeWatch that trees in her Somerville neighborhood seem to be headed for a dangerous entanglement with utility wires.
“The Somerville Public Works Department is doing a good job planting young trees where old ones fell due to rotting, wind storms, etc.,’’ Izenberg writes in an e-mail. “However, they have planted many of them directly below wiring, where careful placement could have avoided the wiring altogether.
“Take a look at the young tree planted in front of 50 Fairfax Street: oops! The top of the tree is about to hit some wires. Will they chop it off? When it’s older, will the wind down the wire lines?’’
During a visit earlier this week, a Globe reporter saw the tree in front of 50 Fairfax, and it is indeed just a few inches from the wires.