Tree Maintenance

Hydro line clearing program

Starting in December 2016, the Town of Oakville and its tree service contractor will perform hydro line clearing in Area 2.

Each year, the town and its tree service contractor perform hydro line clearing on behalf of Oakville Hydro to ensure the health, safety and well-being of the town’s tree canopy. In rare instances, trees growing too close to the hydro line will be removed as a last resort if the arborist cannot balance the clearance standard with acceptable pruning standards.

If not properly maintained, trees can create power outages or hazardous situations by touching or even falling on hydro lines. Trees are pruned on a three-year cycle following the Electrical Safety Authority’s (ESA) industry standard of providing a minimum three-metre (10 foot) clearance. Our professional arborist contractors prune trees with these goals in mind:

• Keep the structural integrity of the tree intact
• Maintain the health of the tree with well-placed cuts that heal well and minimize sprouting
• Promote regrowth away from hydro lines through directional pruning
• Leave branches growing down and away from wires to continue their growth

In some instances, the town must prune privately owned trees if they have grown too close to the hydro line. When hydro lines are located in rear yards, Oakville Hydro has an easement through the property which allows the arborist to access the tree.

You can search the status of tree pruning in your neighbourhood on the Hydro Line Clearing interactive map.

Learn more about tree pruning around hydo lines and how you can help maintain your trees.

For more information

ServiceOakville
Telephone: 905-845-6601
TTY: 905-338-4200
serviceoakville@oakville.ca