Town’s tree pruning programs begin in January 2023

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

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 2023 hydro line clearing program will take place in west Oakville, from Fourth Line to Burloak Drive, south of Rebecca.

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.

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

In 2023, the rotational tree maintenance program will include all town-owned street trees between Third Line and Trafalgar Road north of the QEW to Upper Middle Road, and between Sixteen Mile Creek and Trafalgar Road 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.

You can find more information about the town’s tree pruning programs on the Tree Maintenance page.