Article 225-26: Live vegetation; Live vegetation such as trees shall not be used for support of overhead conductor spans or other electrical equipment.

This short little article is sending shock waves throughout the landscape lighting world. The main purpose, according to a source close to the committee that wrote the article, was to prevent electrical wiring from being strung from tree top to tree top. This is a noble gesture to help prevent forest fires. However, the catch is in the last three words of the article... other electrical equipment.

If most cities and municipalities adopt these new codes, as most cities and municipalities do, there will no longer be the same opportunities to put lights up in the trees (or shrubs) and create that down-lighting or moonlighting effect.

Landscape architects have been safely designing these effects into landscapes for years. Why the sudden urge to abolish it? Couldn’t there be measures to modify equipment or techniques and reduce the threat of fire? Does low voltage lighting present the same risks? Do these regulations affect existing wiring? These are questions that need to be answered before the new codes take effect in January. Because of deadlines we can’t provide you with any more right now. The Landscape Architect and Specifier News is working on it, though, and by this time next month we will have the answers.

In the meantime, you can show your support either for or against this article by sending cards and letters to: Mr. R. G. Bierman, Chairman – Correlating Committee, c/o Bierman – University Electric, 2300 University, Des Moines, lowa 50311

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