Vegetation control operations are essential to ensure a safe and reliable power system. Although these operations are carried out by arborists, their efficiency depends on your cooperation as well. Is work being carried out on or near your property? Here are a few simple actions you can take to help our crews.
What you can do to help us
Allow free access to your property
A gate that is locked, difficult to open or blocked by cumbersome objects can slow down our crews or even prevent them from carrying out an operation. If garden furniture, a car shelter or equipment are close to power lines, be sure to move them before we arrive.
Keep pets inside
Even the calmest pets can be perturbed by the presence of work crews and noisy equipment. For their safety and that of our crews, it is preferable to keep them inside or in a secured space for the duration of the work.
“Work carried out at a single home can make the system more reliable for thousands of others. Collaboration between customers, Hydro-Québec employees and crews specialized in arboriculture is essential.”
Philippe Nantel
forest engineer
Grant permission for the work
In certain cases, you may have to grant permission for work to be carried out on your property. Hydro-Québec personnel will contact you to obtain your consent.
Download the mobile app
In the Hydro-Québec app, the Power outages service lets you track the service status for one or several addresses of your choice. That way, you can get a notification if there is a planned service interruption for vegetation work. It’s a simple and efficient way to be prepared!
Warning
Do not try to cut down vegetation yourself
Pruning and cutting down trees is dangerous work. Be sure to keep yourself and your tools at least three metres away from power lines. Wait for a team of experts to do the job—they’ve been trained to carry out these operations in a safe manner.
Do not modify markers or equipment
Crews sometimes use paint or other materials to identify hazardous trees or ensure the site is safe for their work. Please don’t touch or move these markers.
Do not interrupt the work
It’s important to let the crews focus on their job—for their safety, and yours!
Next steps
Will the debris be collected?
Once the work has been completed, debris may be left on the ground, in accordance with best environmental practices for managing tree and branch debris. Generally speaking, wood is left on-site and branches are collected, but it depends on the nature of the job and the type of wood and tree.
Your cooperation is important
By facilitating access to your property, respecting safety instructions and getting informed before taking action, you’re helping to limit power outages and electrical hazards.
