Oakville’s tree pruning programs set to begin in January

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Published December 22, 2021 at 4:49 pm

Starting in January, the Town of Oakville and its tree service contractor will begin their two annual tree pruning programs. INSAUGA PHOTO

The Town of Oakville’s annual tree pruning programs are set to get underway at the beginning of the new year.

Conducted by the Town’s service contractor, the early January Hydro Line Clearing and Rotational Tree Maintenance promotes public safety and tree health.

Here’s a look at the work being done by the Town:

Hydro Line Clearing

Each year, the Town and its tree service contractor perform hydro line clearing on behalf of Oakville Hydro to reduce safety hazards and power outages, while maintaining the health, safety and well-being of the town’s tree canopy.

The 2022 hydro line clearing program will take place in east Oakville, between Chartwell Road and Winston Churchill Boulevard and Trafalgar Road to Ninth Line.

Trees are pruned in each of four zones on a four-year cycle following the Electrical Safety Authority guidelines to maintain a three-metre (10-foot) clearance between branches and primary power lines and one-metre (three-feet) for secondary lines.

In some situations, the Town must prune trees on private property if they are growing too close to hydro lines.

As a last resort, some trees growing too close to the hydro line may need to be removed if the arborist cannot achieve the clearance standard with acceptable pruning practices.

Rotational Tree Maintenance

Through the rotational tree maintenance program, Oakville proactively prunes all town-owned street trees on a 10-year rotational cycle to improve tree health and structure, and provide clearance for sidewalks, roads, buildings, and traffic signs and lights.

In 2022, the rotational tree maintenance program will include all town-owned street trees in west Oakville between Bronte Road and Third Line north of the QEW, and between Bronte Road and Sixteen Mile Creek north of Upper Middle Road to Dundas Street.

Rotational tree pruning is performed on town trees only. In some cases, town trees are located on the municipal property bordering a homeowner’s yard which may include the house-side of the sidewalk.

To find out more information about the Oakville’s tree pruning programs, visit the Tree Maintenance page on oakville.ca.

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