Rows of young oil-tea seedlings grow beneath towering transmission lines on the outskirts of Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province. They are a gift from the local power company, meant to support grid safety and farmers' incomes.

Shortly after the Chinese New Year, Cheng Xinggan, Party secretary of Siwugang village, received 1,200 oil-tea saplings from the Wuhan branch of State Grid. "There's no better gift than seedlings," Cheng said. On the eve of China's Arbor Day, villagers and volunteers planted them in the corridor beneath a high-voltage transmission line.

For Cheng, the donation is especially meaningful in a village where oil-tea is a major source of income. Planting low-growing trees under power lines offers a new way to protect transmission corridors while keeping the land productive.

Areas beneath high-voltage lines have long required strict management. Fast-growing trees can touch conductors, trigger line trips and threaten nearby rail operations.

Pan Zhongyu, head of a nearby power supply station, said the company used to think only of removing vegetation. "We used to focus on stopping trees from growing under the lines," he said. "Now we plant trees, but we do it scientifically and safely."

After studying different species, the company chose oil-tea camellia trees. They grow slowly and usually reach only two to three meters in height. With regular pruning, they stay well below the safety limit for the lines. According to the company, planting oil-tea trees under power lines helps reduce risks to the grid while also improving the landscape and preventing soil erosion. The approach reflects a shift from simply clearing vegetation to managing the land in a more sustainable way.

The seedlings also bring economic promise. Oil-tea tree is one of the world's major woody oil crops, and its cold-pressed tea oil has steady market demand.

Cheng estimated that about 1.07 hectares planted in the corridor — about 1,200 trees — will enter full production in three years and could bring the village nearly 100,000 yuan (about $14,558) a year in stable revenue. Volunteers hung small tags with safety reminders and environmental slogans on each seedling.

For Xu Bin of the Hubei Volunteer Association, the project shows how infrastructure protection and rural development can go hand in hand.

"Planting suitable crops under power lines improves the environment, increases farmers' income and protects the grid," Xu said.

Contact the writers at liuboqian@chinadaily.com.cn