Trees account for more than 30 per cent of power outages in Ontario.
Our team plays a vital role in protecting power lines and equipment from vegetation. This work helps ensure our customers and employees are safe and that electricity is there for you when you need it.
Planning
We continuously work to improve service for our customers by making the right investments in the right places. We plan and prioritize the completion of vegetation control programs to have the greatest impact on reliability improvement.
Notification
Unless it is related to an emergency, we will notify customers and land owners before conducting forestry work on or near their property. This can include letters, door-hangers, in-person meetings, or by telephone. If you have any questions about which forestry practices will be implemented on or near your property, or why this important work needs to occur, please contact our Community Relations team at 1-877-345-6799 or
Community.Relations@HydroOne.com.
Our Approach
Our team incorporates Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM) principles. Those principles consider public and employee safety, community values, ecological and social impacts, reliability expectations, and sustainable energy development. This includes tree trimming, hazard tree identification and removal, manual brush cutting, mechanical brush control, and herbicide use. Our highly-skilled arborists trim and cut vegetation to provide sufficient clearances from electrical equipment. The amount of vegetation needing to be removed is based on tree species, growth patterns, geography, and line voltage.
We comply with operating, safety, and reliability standards set by regulatory and standards authorities. Minimum clearances are regulated by the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), and the Electrical Utility Safety Authority (EUSA).
Protecting the Natural Environment
We endeavour to leave our work sites in appropriate condition. Depending on the project, final clean up may include the following:
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Raking roadways clear of leaves and debris
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Clearing drainage ditches of any impedance
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Raking lawns clear of leaves, twigs and bark
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Replacing objects moved for line clearing operations such as fence sections, bell lines, flower pots, and mailboxes.
In areas of limited access, all debris will be left on site to promote re-forestation and soil health, and provide habitat for animals. In locations where limbs and branches cannot be left, our team will mulch it using chippers.
Right-of-ways which have been maintained using an integrated vegetation management approach provide excellent wildlife habitat. The resulting low-growing plant communities promote biodiversity, erosion control, and a natural deterrent to the re-establishment of taller-growing tree species.