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    • Trees and power lines
Power outages Understanding and preventing

Trees and power lines

Québec is known for its dense forests, which cover close to half its territory. Trees are an integral part of our landscape, as are the transmission and distribution systems, generating stations, dams and other Hydro-Québec facilities. Their coexistence can be put to the test by bad weather.

What Hydro-Québec does to prevent outages

We clear the vegetation near the distribution system to keep trees and branches from falling on the lines. This is referred to as vegetation management. Through these efforts, we aim to protect workers and the public, but especially to prevent outages, because falling branches or trees are responsible for close to 40% of power outages. In wooded areas, up to 70% of outages are caused by strong winds, freezing rain or wet snow, all of which are occurring more frequently due to climate change.

A few figures concerning vegetation management:

  • More than 100,000 km of lines need to be cleared—equivalent to two trips around the globe.
  • Close to 600 utility arborists carry out work designed to prevent trees from falling on power lines and causing power outages.
  • Hydro-Québec’s goal by 2025 is to significantly decrease outages caused by trees.
  • Hydro-Québec now performs twice as many interventions due to climate change because more frequent episodes of wet snow, freezing rain and strong winds increase the risk of falling trees or branches on power lines.
  • We have provided support to the NSERC-Hydro-Québec Industrial Research Chair on Control of Tree Growth for over ten years.
  • Clearing tools using an excavator can do the work of six people in the same amount of time.

Practical online tools

Choose the Right Tree or Shrub

Make sure you plant a tree at a safe distance from power lines by using the Choose the Right Tree or Shrub tool.

When is clearance work planned in your area?

Consult the map to see if any work is planned in your area.

Vegetation near power lines

Inform us of a potential hazard involving vegetation near power lines.

What you can do to prevent power outages

If a tree or a branch is in danger of damaging the service entrance of your home or building, rectify the situation quickly by calling a qualified arborist. If the vegetation is damaging one of your own components, like a service mast or spool rack, Hydro-Québec will not be able to restore your connection until your equipment has been repaired.

You can also act preventively by choosing to plant a type of tree that is well adapted to the regional climate and by respecting a safe distance from medium-voltage power lines. This will help limit the risks of an outage in your home and even your entire neighborhood.

To select a tree or shrub that is right for you, use our online tool, which includes some 1,500 examples.

See also

  • How Hydro-Québec controls vegetation near power lines and manages tree and branch debris
  • The importance of choosing the right tree or shrub

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