Eastern Ontario Power is dedicated to bringing its customers the most reliable and efficient electrical service available. One of the ways we accomplish this is by integrating a professional tree trimming program into our daily operations.
Eastern Ontario Power's Tree Trimming Program is intended to help protect the public, protect property and maintain electric reliability. Eastern Ontario Power implements accepted professional standards for the pruning of trees near power lines. This program provides safe, reliable and inexpensive electricity. We must keep trees that are located near power lines pruned on a regular cycle. We trim trees a certain distance away from the power lines to allow for growth until the trees are trimmed during the next cycle.
Many service outages and interruptions are caused by tree limbs which fall into power lines causing damage to wires, short circuits and other problems. That creates potential danger for you and your property, danger that can be avoided by not planting tall growing trees under or near electric wires, and by routine tree trimming.
Eastern Ontario Power adheres to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) A300, Standard Practices for Trees, Shrubs and other Woody Plant Maintenance. This standard (endorsed by the International Society of Arboriculture, the National Arbor Day Foundation and the Utility Arborist Association) requires treetrimmers to cut branches back to the “parent limb”. This practice allows the pruning cuts to “heal” more rapidly, reducing the chances of insect and disease damage, and promotes a healthier re-growth of branches that are directed away from the power lines.
Pruning considerations include species of tree; growth and re-growth rates; location of trees in proximity to power lines; voltage of power lines; types of power line construction; length of pruning cycle; natural tree shape and branch patterning; general tree condition; appearance after pruning.
The following priority is followed in determining when and where tree trimming will occur:
Reports of electrical outages caused by trees.
- Areas where trees have been damaged by storms.
- During the regular tree-trimming cycle (approximately every three years).
- Periodic inspections by Eastern Ontario Power personel.
- Reports from customers indicating potential tree/power line problems.
